Breakdown of Diese Rasse ist die allerälteste.
sein
to be
alt
old
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Rasse
the breed
Questions & Answers about Diese Rasse ist die allerälteste.
How does the prefix aller- change the meaning of älteste in this sentence?
The prefix aller- intensifies the superlative form of an adjective. While die älteste means "the oldest", adding aller- makes it die allerälteste, meaning "the very oldest" or "the absolute oldest". Historically, aller is the genitive plural of all, so it literally translates to "the oldest of all".
Why is it die allerälteste and not am allerältesten here?
Both are superlative forms, but they are structured differently. You use am with the -sten ending when the adjective stands alone to describe the subject (e.g., Diese Rasse ist am allerältesten). However, in this sentence, the adjective follows the feminine definite article die (referring back to Rasse). After a definite article, the superlative takes the weak adjective ending -e, resulting in die allerälteste.
Is the word Rasse used exactly like the English word "race"?
No, and this is a crucial distinction. In German, Rasse is the standard, everyday word for animal breeds (like dogs, cats, or horses), which is the context of this sentence. However, using Rasse to describe human "races" is strongly taboo in modern German due to its historical misuse. For humans, you would use words like Herkunft (origin) or ethnische Zugehörigkeit (ethnicity).
Why does älteste have an umlaut when the base adjective is alt?
Many common, one-syllable German adjectives that contain the vowels a, o, or u add an umlaut in their comparative and superlative forms. Therefore, alt (old) changes to älter (older) and älteste (oldest). The intensifying prefix aller- simply attaches to this already-umlauted superlative form.
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