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Questions & Answers about Ég kaupi poppkornið.
Why is the definite article attached to the end of poppkorn instead of standing alone like the in English?
Icelandic doesn’t use a separate word for “the.” Instead it adds a suffix to the noun itself.
- Neuter nouns in singular take –ið.
- So poppkorn (“popcorn”) + –ið = poppkorn-ið, literally “popcorn-the,” i.e. “the popcorn.”
What grammatical case is poppkorn-ið in?
It’s the direct object of the verb kaupa, so it’s in the accusative case.
- For neuter singular, nominative and accusative forms look identical, so you can’t see a difference by form alone.
- Icelandic marks case (and definiteness) in the noun ending rather than by word order or prepositions here.
Why is the verb kaupa inflected as kaupi in Ég kaupi poppkornið?
Because kaupi is the 1st person singular present indicative form of kaupa.
- Infinitive: kaupa (“to buy”)
- Drop the –a and add –i for “I”: kaup- (stem) + -i = kaupi (“I buy” / “I am buying”)