Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ég er svangur og þyrstur.
What does each word in Ég er svangur og þyrstur mean?
• Ég means I. • Er is the first-person singular form of the verb to be (i.e., am). • Svangur means hungry. • Og is the conjunction and. • Þyrstur means thirsty.
How are the adjectives svangur and þyrstur inflected, and what does that tell us about the speaker?
In Icelandic, adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe. Here, both adjectives are in the masculine nominative singular form. This form is used by default or when the speaker is male. If a female were speaking, the adjectives would typically change to the feminine forms (for example, svöng instead of svangur and þyrst rather than þyrstur).
What is the sentence structure of Ég er svangur og þyrstur and how does it compare to English?
The sentence follows a simple Subject-Verb-Predicate structure: • Subject: Ég (I) • Verb: Er (am) • Predicate: Svangur og þyrstur (hungry and thirsty) This is quite similar to English (I am hungry and thirsty), with the main difference being that Icelandic adjectives are inflected to agree with the subject’s gender, number, and case.
What role does the conjunction og play in this sentence?
Og translates to and in English. It connects the two predicate adjectives (svangur and þyrstur) to describe two states experienced by the subject in a single sentence.
How should I pronounce the letter þ as seen in þyrstur?
The letter þ (thorn) is pronounced like the voiceless dental fricative found in English words such as think or thin. It is one of the unique letters of the Icelandic alphabet and is essential for correct pronunciation.
Why might the adjective endings in this sentence be challenging for learners of Icelandic?
Unlike English adjectives, Icelandic adjectives change based on gender, number, and case. In predicate constructions, although the adjectives follow the verb (similar to English), they still must reflect the correct form according to the gender of the speaker. This means a learner must remember to adjust the endings (e.g., using svangur for a male speaker and svöng for a female speaker), which can be a common source of error for beginners.