lo mejor and el mejor for the most or superlative

Question

i just watched a lesson i think it was like 2.4 or so and it said to say a superlative say el/la/los/las mejor/mejores. But i think i've also seen the phrase "lo mejor". is that different than a superlative? i would like to know the difference or if lo mejor is even a thing to say at all. thank you.

Answer 1

el mejor=the best (masculine noun)

el mejor sitio

la mejor=the best (feminine noun)

la mejor casa

lo mejor=the best abstract concept, does not refer to a known noun

They are all superlative forms.

The noun does not have to follow the term el/la mejor. It can refer back to it.

Me gusta jugar a todos los deportes. El básquetbol es el mejor. [deporte de todos los deportes].

comparatives and superlatives

conflicting article

I love it when you research online and find conflicting grammar explanations. The first article above say that it is lo and la mejor (noun) [no el mejor}, while the 2nd article says that it is el/la mejor, no lo mejor. Hold on for further confirmation.

Ok, here's the tie breaker. superlatives This article supports what I wrote originally.

• el mejor masculine noun
• la mejor feminine noun
• lo mejor unknown noun

I hate online grammar articles. Anybody with a computer can write one.

okay i think i get it. so saying blah blah blah es lo mejor. it's like saying it's the best. you never say what it's the best out of. and el mejor de... says what it is the best out of. okay thanks. - wojo, Jul 28, 2010