Breakdown of Das Herrchen ist oft die allernervöseste Person.
sein
to be
oft
often
nervös
nervous
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Person
the person (individual)
das Herrchen
the master (of a pet)
Questions & Answers about Das Herrchen ist oft die allernervöseste Person.
How is the superlative intensified in this sentence?
The prefix aller- is added directly to the superlative adjective nervöseste to mean "the very most nervous" or "the most nervous of all". You can attach aller- to almost any declined superlative adjective to give it this extra emphasis.
Why does allernervöseste end in just an -e here?
Even though it has the intensive prefix, it still follows normal adjective declension rules. Because it comes after the definite article die and describes a feminine noun (Person) in the nominative case, it takes the weak ending -e.
Why is the neuter article Das used for a male dog owner?
The word Herrchen is a diminutive of Herr (master or man) and specifically means a male pet owner. In German, any noun ending in the diminutive suffix -chen is automatically neuter, regardless of the person's actual gender. Its female counterpart, das Frauchen, is also neuter for the same reason.
Is it okay that the neuter subject (Das Herrchen) is equated to a feminine noun (die Person)?
Yes! When you use a linking verb like ist to say that one thing is another, the grammatical genders of the two nouns do not need to match. Das Herrchen remains grammatically neuter, and die Person remains grammatically feminine.
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