Skýjin hverfa þegar sól og þögn mætast.

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Breakdown of Skýjin hverfa þegar sól og þögn mætast.

• og: and
• sólin: the sun
• skýið: the cloud

Questions & Answers about Skýjin hverfa þegar sól og þögn mætast.

What does hverfa mean and why is it hverfa (not hverfur) here?

hverfa is an intransitive verb meaning to vanish or disappear. In this sentence the subject skýjin is plural (the clouds), so the verb appears in its 3rd person plural present form, which is spelled exactly like the infinitive, i.e. hverfa. The 3rd person singular form would be hverfur.

Why is the word for clouds written skýjin? What do the -in and the extra j do?

The suffix -in is the definite article in the plural for neuter nouns, so ský (cloud) becomes skýin (the clouds). When attaching -in to a stem ending in a vowel, Icelandic often inserts an epenthetic j to avoid a vowel clash. The j has no added meaning beyond smoothing pronunciation.

Why are sól and þögn in the nominative case here?

They serve as the subjects of the subordinate clause þegar sól og þögn mætast. In Icelandic, subjects are always in the nominative case, and when two subjects are joined by og they share the same case form.

Why is there no article before sól and þögn like there was with skýjin?