English grammar
Superlative + present perfect + ever: the best … I've ever tasted; telling it later: the … I'd ever tasted
Talk about the best, the most beautiful, the tastiest thing you have ever known.
From the scene The best coffee I've ever tasted
In short
After a superlative, use the present perfect + ever: the best coffee I've ever tasted. Telling it later, use I'd ever.
Your turn
Which one goes with the same with best?
Options: the best coffee I've ever tasted · the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen · the best harvest the farm has ever had
Show answer
the same with best → the best coffee I've ever tasted
How it works
After a superlative (the best, the most beautiful, the tastiest), English usually uses the present perfect + ever: the best coffee I've ever tasted.
Good to know
Ever goes between have and the participle, and never is wrong here.
Good to know
When you tell the story in the past, move back to the past perfect: the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted.
superlative + I've ever + participle the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen
Nuria
Everything's so green! It's the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen.
¡Qué verde está todo! Es el paisaje más bonito que haya visto nunca.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Everything's so green! It's (blank).
Options: the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen · the best coffee I've ever tasted · the best harvest the farm has ever had
Show answer
Nuria
Everything's so green! It's the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen.
¡Qué verde está todo! Es el paisaje más bonito que haya visto nunca.
the same with best the best coffee I've ever tasted
Elena
Dear, this coffee... is the best coffee I've ever tasted.
Hijo, este tinto... es el mejor café que haya probado nunca.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Dear, this coffee... is (blank).
Options: the best harvest the farm has ever had · the best coffee I've ever tasted · the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen
Show answer
Elena
Dear, this coffee... is the best coffee I've ever tasted.
Hijo, este tinto... es el mejor café que haya probado nunca.
with another subject the best harvest the farm has ever had
Javi
My uncle says this is the best harvest the farm has ever had.
Mi tío dice que esta es la mejor cosecha que haya tenido la finca.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
My uncle says this is (blank).
Options: the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen · the best coffee I've ever tasted · the best harvest the farm has ever had
Show answer
Javi
My uncle says this is the best harvest the farm has ever had.
Mi tío dice que esta es la mejor cosecha que haya tenido la finca.
telling it in the past: I'd ever the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted until then
Elena
It was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted until then.
Era lo más rico que hubiera probado hasta entonces.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
It was (blank).
Options: the best coffee I've ever tasted · the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted until then · the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen
Show answer
Elena
It was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted until then.
Era lo más rico que hubiera probado hasta entonces.
Common mistake
Not I've or I'll here. A story in the past.
It was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted until then.
Era lo más rico que hubiera probado hasta entonces.
Practise it in the story
Meet this rule inside a short animated scene. Answer as it plays, then say the lines yourself.
Practise free in the appSee all forms
| superlative + I've ever + participle | the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen |
|---|---|
| the same with best | the best coffee I've ever tasted |
| with another subject | the best harvest the farm has ever had |
| telling it in the past: I'd ever | the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted until then |
More lines from the story
- ElenaIt reminds me of Rosario's, at the office, in sixty-five.Me recuerda al de Rosario, en la oficina, en el sesenta y cinco.
- ElenaMind you, he has to pay me. I am a film actress now.Eso sí, que me pague. Ahora soy actriz de cine.