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Questions & Answers about Þeir drekka mjólk.
What does Þeir mean in this sentence and when do I use it?
Þeir is the third-person plural masculine pronoun meaning they. It refers to a group of males or a mixed-gender group in Icelandic. For an all-female group you’d use Þær, and for a neuter group or neuter nouns you’d use Þau.
What form is the verb drekka here?
This drekka is the present-tense, third-person plural form of drekka (to drink). In Icelandic the plural endings in the present tense are:
• við drekka (we drink)
• þið drekkið (you pl. drink)
• þeir/þær/þau drekka (they drink)
So both við and þeir share the ending -a.
Why does drekka look the same for við and þeir?
Icelandic verbs don’t use a separate personal pronoun to show person. Instead, the ending changes. The ending -a marks first-person plural and third-person plural alike. Context (the pronoun) tells you who is doing the action.
What case is mjólk in, and does its form change?
Here mjólk is in the accusative singular (direct object) but for this feminine noun the nominative, accusative, and dative are all mjólk. Its full singular declension is:• Nominative mjólk• Accusative mjólk• Dative mjólk• Genitive mjólkar