Ég borða kvöldmatinn.

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Breakdown of Ég borða kvöldmatinn.

• borða: to eat
• kvöldmaturinn: the dinner

Questions & Answers about Ég borða kvöldmatinn.

Why is it kvöldmatinn and not just kvöldmatur or kvöldmat?

Because three things are happening at once:

• kvöldmatur is the dictionary form (nominative singular) meaning (an) evening meal / dinner.
• After the verb borða (to eat), the direct object is normally accusative, so kvöldmatur → kvöldmat (accusative singular).
• The ending -inn is the definite article (“the”), attached to the noun in Icelandic. In accusative singular masculine it becomes kvöldmat + inn = kvöldmatinn.

So:

• Ég borða kvöldmat. = “I eat dinner / I’m eating dinner” (indefinite, general)
• Ég borða kvöldmatinn. = “I’m eating the dinner” (a specific dinner)

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Does kvöldmatinn mean “the dinner”? Where is the word for “the”?

Yes—-inn is “the.” Icelandic typically uses a suffix (a “stuck-on” ending) instead of a separate word like English the.
So kvöldmat-inn literally corresponds to dinner-the.

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What case is kvöldmatinn, and how do I know?