Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Áhorfandinn kaupir miða áður en leikurinn byrjar. - The spectator buys a ticket before the game starts.

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?

Áður en means “before” when introducing a subordinate time clause. Unlike some other conjunctions (e.g. að, which sends the verb to the end), áður en preserves normal V2 word order. That’s why we say áður en leikurinn byrjar (subject leikurinn, then verb byrjar), not áður en byrjar leikurinn.

Why is the simple present tense used for future action (“before the game starts”)?

Like English, Icelandic often uses the simple present to talk about scheduled future events. There’s no need for a special future tense; kaupir and byrjar both appear in present tense even though the buying happens before a future start.

Could you use an explicit future construction, and if so, how?

Yes. You can form a periphrastic future with mun + infinitive:

Áhorfandinn mun kaupa miða áður en leikurinn byrjar.
But this is more formal; the simple present (kaupir) is more common for near-future or planned events.

Why is there no preposition before miða (“buys ticket”)?

Icelandic, like English, treats miða as a direct object of kaupir (“buys”). The verb kaupa governs the accusative directly, so no preposition is needed.

Why is the word order Áhorfandinn kaupir miða and not Kaupir áhorfandinn miða?

Icelandic follows the Verb-Second (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position in main clauses. If you start with the subject (áhorfandinn), the verb (kaupir) follows immediately, then the object (miða). If you began with some other element (e.g. a time adverb), the verb would still be second.