Kennarinn biður um skýra útskýringu.

the teacher

Breakdown of Kennarinn biður um skýra útskýringu.

• skýr: clear
• biðja um: to ask for
• útskýringin: the explanation

Questions & Answers about Kennarinn biður um skýra útskýringu.

Why does Kennarinn have the ending -inn, and what does it mean?

In Icelandic the definite article is not a separate word but a suffix attached to the noun. Kennarinn breaks down into kennari (English teacher) + the definite suffix -inn, so kennarinn means the teacher, whereas kennari alone means a teacher or just teacher.

What does biður mean, and why is it in this particular form?

Biður is the third-person singular present tense of the verb biðja (English to ask or to request). Since the subject (kennari) is third person singular, we use biður to express he/she asks or the teacher asks.

Why is there an um after biður?

In Icelandic, when biðja carries the meaning to ask for or to request, it must be followed by the preposition um, which governs the accusative case. So biður um literally means asks for.

Why is skýr a útskýringu in the accusative case?

The preposition um always takes an accusative object. Therefore both the adjective skýr (English clear) and the noun útskýring (English explanation) must be in the accusative. That yields skýra (feminine singular accusative of skýr) + útskýringu (feminine singular accusative of útskýring).

How do the adjective endings work here? Why does skýr become skýra?

Icelandic adjectives agree with their nouns in gender, number and case. Útskýring is a feminine singular noun. In the accusative singular feminine, adjectives take an -a ending, so skýr → skýra.

If this is a request, why isn’t biður in the imperative?

This sentence is not giving a command; it’s a statement describing what the teacher does. To make it an imperative (“Ask for a clear explanation!”), you would say Biddu um skýra útskýringu (second-person singular imperative). Here, kennari is the subject, so we use the present indicative biður.

How would you change the sentence to past tense?

Simply replace biður (present) with bað (preterite of biðja). You get:
Kennarinn bað um skýra útskýringu.
All other forms (cases, adjective ending) remain the same.

What’s the difference between kennari and kennari + -inn (i.e. kennarinn)?

Kennari (indefinite nominative) means a teacher, whereas kennari + -inn = kennarinn (definite nominative) means the teacher. Use the indefinite when you’re speaking generally or mentioning someone for the first time, and the definite when you refer to a specific individual already known in context.