Breakdown of Hvaða ilmur er mest róandi?
vera
to be
hvaða
which, what
mest
most
ilmurinn
the scent
róandi
soothing
Questions & Answers about Hvaða ilmur er mest róandi?
Why do we say mest róandi instead of adding a superlative ending to róandi?
róandi is a present participle (a verb form ending in -andi used as an adjective, meaning 'soothing'). In Icelandic, adjectives ending in -andi never take normal comparative or superlative endings like -ari or -astur. Instead, you must use an analytical comparison by putting meira (more) or mest (most) in front of them.
Does the adjective róandi need to change to match the masculine gender of ilmur?
No, it doesn't change at all! One of the great things about present participles used as adjectives is that they are completely indeclinable. They keep the exact same -andi form regardless of the noun's gender, number, or case.
Why is the superlative word mest used here instead of a masculine form like mestur to match ilmur?
When creating analytical comparisons with meira and mest, these words act as adverbs that modify the adjective (róandi). Because they function as adverbs in this structure, they remain invariable and do not decline to agree with the noun.
As a quick refresher, why do we use Hvaða here instead of Hver to mean 'which'?
Hvaða is used as an interrogative adjective directly before a noun when asking 'which [noun]' or 'what [noun]' (as in hvaða ilmur). You would use a form of hver if you were asking 'which one' as a standalone pronoun. As a handy bonus, hvaða never changes its form for gender or case.
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