Breakdown of Er hún ekki hættuleg? Jú, hún er allra hættulegust!
vera
to be
hún
she
ekki
not
jú
yes (contradicting a negative question)
hættulegur
dangerous
allra
the very / of all
Questions & Answers about Er hún ekki hættuleg? Jú, hún er allra hættulegust!
How does "allra" intensify the superlative in this sentence?
Allra is the genitive plural form of the word allur (all). When placed directly in front of a superlative adjective like hættulegust, it literally translates to "of all." This is the standard Icelandic way to express that something is "the absolute most" or "the [adjective]-est of all."
Does "allra" change its ending depending on the subject "hún"?
No. When used as an intensifier meaning "of all," it is locked into the genitive plural form allra. Whether the subject is masculine, feminine, neuter, singular, or plural, you will always use allra right before the superlative.
Why is the superlative "hættulegust" instead of the weak form "hættulegasta"?
Because the adjective stands alone after the verb að vera (to be) without a noun or definite article, meaning it must take the strong declension. Since the subject hún is feminine, we use the strong feminine nominative superlative hættulegust. If a definite noun were attached, it would switch to the weak form: hún er allra hættulegasta konan (she is the most dangerous woman of all).
Why do we use "jú" instead of "já" for "yes" here?
This is a quick refresher: the first sentence is a negative question (Er hún ekki...? / Isn't she...?). Whenever you answer "yes" to contradict a negative question or a negative statement in Icelandic, you must use jú. Using já in this context would sound unnatural to an Icelander.
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