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Questions & Answers about Ég prófa súpuna.
Why is there no separate word for the in this sentence?
In Icelandic the definite article isn’t a standalone word as in English. Instead you attach it as a suffix to the noun. In súpuna the ending -na signals “the soup” in the accusative case.
What case is súpuna in, and why does it end in -na?
súpuna is the definite accusative singular of the feminine noun súpa.
• Núetímaprósent (present tense verb) takes a direct object in the accusative.
• Definite = “the soup,” so you add -na rather than the indefinite -u (which would give súpu).
How would I say “I try a soup” (indefinite) instead of “the soup”?
You’d use the indefinite accusative form súpu:
Ég prófa súpu.
Here súpu = “(a) soup,” indefinite object.
Why is the verb prófa in this form, and how is it conjugated in the present tense?
prófa is a regular (weak) verb meaning “to try” or “to test.” In the present tense you conjugate it like this:
ég prófa (I try)
þú prófar (you try)
hann/hún prófar (he/she tries)
við prófum (we try)
þið prófið (you pl. try)
þeir/þær/þau prófa (they try)