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.”