Breakdown of Wir suchen den allerschnellsten Champion.
schnell
fast, quickly
wir
we
suchen
to look for
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
Questions & Answers about Wir suchen den allerschnellsten Champion.
How does the prefix aller- change the meaning of schnellsten in this sentence?
It intensifies the standard superlative adjective schnellsten to mean the very fastest or the absolute fastest. You simply attach aller- directly to the front of the superlative word.
Where does the prefix aller- actually come from?
It is the genitive plural form of the word all, which means of all. Because of this, den allerschnellsten Champion literally translates to the fastest champion of all.
Why does allerschnellsten end in -en here?
It follows standard adjective declension rules. Champion is a masculine noun acting as the direct object of the verb suchen, which puts it in the accusative case. After the masculine accusative definite article den, the adjective takes the weak ending -en. Adding the prefix aller- does not change how the adjective declines.
Could we use the form am allerschnellsten in this sentence instead?
No, because the adjective is placed directly in front of the noun Champion. You only use the am form when the superlative stands alone to describe a verb or a noun, such as in the sentence: Dieser Champion ist am allerschnellsten (This champion is the fastest).