Questions & Answers about Kassinn er undir stólnum.
Why is there no separate word for “the” in kassinn? How is the definite article expressed?
In Icelandic the definite article is not a separate word but a suffix attached to the noun. For the masculine strong noun kassi (“box”):
- Indefinite nominative singular: kassi (“a box”)
- Definite nominative singular: kassinn = kassi
- -inn (“the box”)
What case is stólnum in, and how can I recognize it?
Stólnum is the dative definite singular of stóll (“chair”). You can spot dative definite masculine singular by the ending -num on the noun stem. In this case:
- Stem: stól-
- Dative definite ending: -num
Resulting in stólnum
Why is the preposition undir followed by a dative noun here? Could it ever take another case?
Undir is one of Icelandic’s “two‐way” prepositions.
- When indicating location (static position), it takes the dative: undir stólnum = “under the chair.”
- When indicating direction (movement toward), it takes the accusative: e.g. setja kassann undir stólinn = “to put the box under the chair.”
How do I decline kassi in the singular, both indefinite and definite?
Singular declension of kassi (strong masculine):
• Nominative: kassi / kassinn
• Genitive: kassa / kassans
• Dative: kassa / kassanum
• Accusative: kassa / kassann
Can you show the singular declension of stóll, especially how stólnum fits in?
Singular declension of stóll (strong masculine):
• Nominative: stóll / stólinn
• Genitive: stóls / stólsins
• Dative: stól / stólnum
• Accusative: stól / stólinn
Is the word order in Kassinn er undir stólnum the only option? What if I want to emphasize location?
Basic Icelandic word order is Subject–Verb–Adverbial (SVO). Here: Kassinn (S) er (V) undir stólnum (Adv).
To emphasize the place, you can front the adverbial but keep the verb in second place:
• Undir stólnum er kassinn. = “Under the chair, the box is.” (i.e. “The box is under the chair.”)
How do I pronounce Kassinn er undir stólnum, and where do I put the stress?
Pronunciation tips:
• Kassinn → [ˈkasːɪn] (stress on KAS-)
• er → [ɛr]
• undir → [ˈʏn.tɪr] (stress on UN)
• stólnum → [ˈstoʊːl.nʏm] (stress on STÓL)
Overall stress pattern: KAS-sinn ER UN-dir STÓL-num (primary stress on the first syllable of each content word).
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