Vekjaraklukkan hringir klukkan sex.

The alarm clock rings at six o’clock.

Breakdown of Vekjaraklukkan hringir klukkan sex.

• klukkan: the clock
• vekjaraklukkan: the alarm clock
• hringja: to ring
• sex: six

Questions & Answers about Vekjaraklukkan hringir klukkan sex.

Why does Vekjaraklukkan end in -n?

Because it’s the definite form of the noun vekjaraklukka (“an alarm clock”). In Icelandic, you mark a feminine singular noun as “the …” by adding -n in the nominative, so “the alarm clock” = vekjaraklukkan.

What case is klukkan sex in, and why is there no preposition like at?

Klukkan here is the nominative singular definite of klukka (“clock”), used adverbially to indicate time. Icelandic expresses clock‐times simply as klukkan + numeral, without a separate preposition. The phrase means “at six.”

Why is the number sex unchanged?

Cardinal numbers 5 and up in Icelandic are indeclinable. Only 1–4 change according to case and gender. Since sex is “six,” it stays the same in all contexts.

Why must the time expression be in the definite form (klukkan instead of klukka)?

Standard clock‐time expressions always use the definite form. Saying klukka sex (indefinite) would sound like “a clock at six,” which is odd. Klukkan sex literally “the clock six” is understood as “six o’clock.”

Could I start the sentence with Klukkan sex instead of ending with it?

Yes. You can front the time for emphasis:
Klukkan sex hringir vekjaraklukkan.
This means “At six the alarm clock rings,” but the neutral word order is Subject–Verb–Time.

What is the normal word order for this sentence?

Icelandic generally follows Subject–Verb–(Object)–Adverbial. Here that is:
Subject: Vekjaraklukkan,
Verb: hringir,
Time adverbial: klukkan sex.

How is the compound vekjaraklukka formed? Why is there an -ar- in the middle?

It’s a compound of the verb vekja (“to wake”) and the noun klukka (“clock”). You take the genitive stem of vekja (which is vekj­ar) and attach klukka: vekj­ar + klukka → vekjaraklukka.

What is the infinitive of hringir, and how does it conjugate here?

The verb is hringja (“to ring” or “to call by phone”). Hringir is its 3rd person singular present tense: “(he/it) rings.” So Vekjaraklukkan hringir… = “The alarm clock rings…”