Breakdown of Broddurinn á jurtaætunni er allra lengstur.
vera
to be
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
langur
long
allra
the very / of all
broddurinn
the spike
jurtaætan
the herbivore
Questions & Answers about Broddurinn á jurtaætunni er allra lengstur.
How does allra work with lengstur in this sentence?
Allra is the genitive plural of the pronoun allur (all), literally meaning "of all." When placed immediately before a superlative adjective like lengstur, it acts as an intensifier. Together, allra lengstur translates to "the longest of all" or "the very longest."
Why is the superlative lengstur in the strong form instead of the weak definite form lengsti?
Even though the subject broddurinn (the spike) has a definite article, lengstur is in the strong form because it is a predicate adjective following the verb er (is). In Icelandic, adjectives in this position usually take the strong declension. If it came directly before the noun, it would be weak: allra lengsti broddurinn (the very longest spike).
How is the noun jurtaætunni (the herbivore) constructed?
It is a compound word made of jurt (plant) in the genitive plural (jurta) and the feminine noun æta (eater). In this sentence, it takes the dative singular definite form (-unni) because it follows the preposition á.
Why does the sentence use the preposition á (on) instead of just using the genitive case for "the herbivore's spike"?
When talking about body parts, physical features, or characteristics attached to animals and people, Icelandic strongly prefers using the preposition á with the dative rather than using the genitive case. Saying broddurinn á jurtaætunni is much more natural than saying broddur jurtaætunnar.
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