Vindurinn blæs austur yfir hafið.

the wind

Breakdown of Vindurinn blæs austur yfir hafið.

• blása: to blow
• austur: east
• yfir: over

Questions & Answers about Vindurinn blæs austur yfir hafið.

What case is vindurinn in, and why does it end with -inn?

vindurinn is in the nominative case because it’s the subject of the sentence. Icelandic marks definiteness by adding a suffix: the indefinite vindur (wind) becomes the definite vindurinn (the wind) with -inn attached.

Why is the verb blæs spelled with æ and ending in -s?

The verb root is blæsa (to blow). In the present tense, third person singular, it changes to blæs. Here’s how it works:

• æ is part of the root vowel
• -s marks “he/she/it blows”

What part of speech is austur, and why isn’t it declined?

austur is an adverb meaning “eastward” or “to the east.” Adverbs in Icelandic do not change form for case, number, or gender, so austur stays the same.

Why is yfir used here, and which case does it govern?

yfir is a preposition meaning “over” or “across.” In this sense, it governs the accusative case. That’s why the noun following it is in the accusative.

Why does hafið end in , and what case is it?