Breakdown of Diese außergewöhnliche Rasse ist die allerseltenste.
sein
to be
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
selten
rarely / rare
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Rasse
the breed
außergewöhnlich
extraordinary
Questions & Answers about Diese außergewöhnliche Rasse ist die allerseltenste.
How does the prefix aller- change the meaning of seltenste here?
The prefix aller- is added to a superlative adjective to intensify it, translating to "the very" or "of all". Here, seltenste means "rarest", so allerseltenste means "the very rarest" or "the rarest of all". It emphasizes that nothing else even comes close.
Why is it die allerseltenste at the end of the sentence instead of am allerseltensten?
Both are grammatically correct, but they feel slightly different. Using am allerseltensten simply describes the state of being the rarest. Using the definite article die plus the declined adjective (allerseltenste) acts like a noun phrase where the noun is implied: "the rarest [breed]". It directly identifies this breed as the singular rarest entity.
Why does allerseltenste end in -e?
Because it acts like an implied noun phrase referring back to the feminine noun Rasse (breed), it needs to be declined. Following the definite article die, it takes the standard weak adjective ending for the nominative feminine singular, which is -e.
How is the word außergewöhnliche formed?
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