Questions & Answers about Ég borða köku með kaffi.
What does borða mean and why is it borða here?
borða means to eat. In this sentence it’s in the present tense, first person singular. Icelandic present‐tense verbs don’t change for continuous vs. habitual, so Ég borða can mean both “I eat” and “I am eating.”
Why is köku used instead of kaka?
After verbs of consumption (like borða, drekka, elska etc.), Icelandic uses the partitive case to indicate an indefinite amount (“some cake”). For the feminine noun kaka the partitive singular form is köku, which coincides morphologically with the accusative and dative but here functions as partitive: Ég borða köku = “I eat (some) cake.”
Is köku accusative or partitive?
Strictly speaking, it’s the partitive singular, triggered by borða. Since the partitive and accusative look identical for many singular feminine nouns, you see köku in both roles—but semantically here it’s partitive.
Why do we say með kaffi and not something else?