Breakdown of Barnið líkir eftir kennaranum.
barnið
the child
kennarinn
the teacher
eftir
after
líkja
to imitate; liken
Questions & Answers about Barnið líkir eftir kennaranum.
Why does barnið end in -ið?
Barnið is barn (child) with the definite article attached, so it means the child.
- barn = child
- barnið = the child
In Icelandic, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like English the.
Also, barn is a neuter noun, and barnið here is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.
What is the basic form of líkir?
The basic form is að líkja eftir.
In the sentence, líkir is the 3rd person singular present tense form, because the subject is barnið (the child), which is singular.
So:
- að líkja eftir = to imitate
- barnið líkir eftir ... = the child imitates ...
A native English speaker may expect one single verb, but here Icelandic uses a verb plus a preposition: líkja eftir.
Is eftir part of the meaning of the verb, or does it just mean after here?