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Questions & Answers about Ekkert er eilíft.
What exactly is ekkert in this sentence?
Ekkert is an indefinite pronoun here, and it functions as the subject of the sentence.
It is the neuter singular form of enginn, which means no / none / nobody / nothing, depending on context. When the neuter form ekkert stands on its own like this, it usually means nothing.
So in Ekkert er eilíft, ekkert = nothing.
Why is ekkert neuter?
It is neuter because Icelandic uses the neuter singular form when referring to no thing in a general, non-personal sense.
Compare the forms of enginn:
- enginn = no one / nobody, masculine
- engin = no one / nobody, feminine
- ekkert = nothing, neuter
So the neuter form is the one that naturally gives the meaning nothing.
What form of the verb is er?