Breakdown of Selbst der klügste Schurke hat eine noch größere Schwäche.
ein
a, an (eine)
groß
big / tall
haben
to have
noch
still / yet
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
selbst
oneself, myself (emphatic); even
klug
clever
der Schurke
the villain
die Schwäche
the weakness
Questions & Answers about Selbst der klügste Schurke hat eine noch größere Schwäche.
Why does klügste end in -e instead of -er, since Schurke is a masculine noun?
klügste is a superlative adjective (the base is klug). Because it comes after the definite article der, it uses the weak adjective declension. For a masculine, nominative noun like Schurke, the weak ending is simply -e.
How do you break down the word größere in this sentence?
First, we take the base adjective groß (big/great) and turn it into the comparative form größer (bigger/greater). Then, we must add an adjective ending because it comes before a noun. Since it modifies Schwäche (a feminine noun in the accusative case) and follows the indefinite article eine, we add the ending -e.
Doesn't selbst usually mean 'oneself' or 'myself'?
It does when it follows a noun or pronoun (for example, ich selbst means 'I myself'). However, when selbst is placed before the noun it emphasizes, it acts as a focus particle meaning 'even' (very similar to the word sogar).
What role does noch play here? Doesn't it usually mean 'still'?
While noch often means 'still' or 'yet', when you place it directly in front of a comparative adjective like größere, it translates to 'even'. So noch größere means 'an even greater'.
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