Breakdown of Kennarinn krafði nemandann um svar.
kennarinn
the teacher
nemandinn
the student
um
about
svar
the answer
Questions & Answers about Kennarinn krafði nemandann um svar.
Why does kennarinn end in -inn?
The ending -inn is the definite article attached to the noun.
- kennari = teacher
- kennarinn = the teacher
In Icelandic, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun instead of written as a separate word like English the.
So Kennarinn means the teacher, not just teacher.
Why is it nemandann and not nemandinn?
Because nemandann is in the accusative case, while nemandinn would be nominative.
Here:
- kennarinn is the subject of the sentence, so it is nominative.
- nemandann is the person being demanded from / addressed by the action, so it appears in the accusative after krefja.
Compare:
- nemandinn = the student (nominative)
- nemandann = the student (accusative)
This is very common in Icelandic: the form of the noun changes depending on its role in the sentence.
What is the dictionary form of krafði?