Áhorfandinn kaupir miða áður en leikurinn byrjar.

The spectator buys a ticket before the game starts.

Breakdown of Áhorfandinn kaupir miða áður en leikurinn byrjar.

• kaupa: to buy
• byrja: to start
• áður en: before
• miðinn: the ticket

Questions & Answers about Áhorfandinn kaupir miða áður en leikurinn byrjar.

Why does áhorfandinn end with -inn?

In Icelandic the definite article is a suffix, not a separate word. For masculine singular nouns in the nominative case you add -inn. So áhorfandi means “a spectator,” and áhorfandinn means “the spectator.”

What case and number is miða, and why does it end in -a?

Here miða is the accusative singular indefinite form of miði (“ticket”). Icelandic masculine nouns of this declension have:

• Nominative sg. miði
• Accusative sg. miða
• Dative sg. miða
• Genitive sg. miða Since miða is the direct object (“buys a ticket”), it takes the accusative ending -a without any definite article.

Why is leikurinn definite, while miða is indefinite?

Leikurinn has -inn because it’s “the game,” something specific that the speaker and listener know about. Miða has no suffix or article, so it means “a ticket,” something not previously specified. Icelandic marks definiteness by adding a suffix to the noun.

What does the conjunction áður en do, and does it change the word order?