Breakdown of Ég var að leika mér með dýrin og þessi hali er allra öflugastur.
vera
to be
og
and
ég
I
mér
me (dative)
að
to (infinitive marker)
dýrið
the animal
leika
to play (as a child, act)
með
with
þessi
this (m/f)
allra
the very / of all
halinn
the tail
öflugur
powerful
Questions & Answers about Ég var að leika mér með dýrin og þessi hali er allra öflugastur.
How does the word allra work to intensify the superlative in this sentence?
Allra is the genitive plural form of allur (all), literally meaning 'of all.' Placing it directly before a superlative adjective, like öflugastur, is the standard way to emphasize that something is the absolute most of its kind out of a group. It translates perfectly to saying 'the most powerful of all' or 'the very most powerful' in English.
Why is the superlative öflugastur in the strong declension rather than the weak form?
While superlatives usually take the weak form when placed directly before a noun (like öflugasti halinn), they take the strong declension when used predicatively. Because it comes after the verb er to describe the subject þessi hali, it takes the strong masculine singular nominative form to match.
Why do we need the pronoun mér after að leika?
The base verb leika means to act in a play or to play a structured sport. To express playing for fun, playing with toys, or playing like a child, you must use the reflexive verb leika sér. Because the subject is ég, the reflexive pronoun takes its corresponding dative form, mér.
Why does the preposition með take the accusative word dýrin here instead of the dative?
While með takes the dative when doing something 'together with' an accompanying person or when using an object as a tool, it takes the accusative when you are physically holding, carrying, or manipulating an object. Because the speaker is physically handling the animals to play with them, dýrin is accusative (if it were dative, it would be dýrunum).
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