Breakdown of Við spurðum um verðið á kökunni.
Questions & Answers about Við spurðum um verðið á kökunni.
What role does við play in this sentence?
What does spurðum mean, and how is it formed?
spurðum is the past-tense (preterite) 1st-person plural of the verb spyrja (“to ask”). Formation:
- Root: spyrj-
- Vowel change for past: y → u
- 1pl ending: ‑ðum
Together: spurðum = “we asked.”
Why is the preposition um used here, and what case does it take?
Why is the word verðið definite, and what does the -ið ending indicate?
In Icelandic, definiteness is marked by a suffix on the noun:
- verð = “price” (indefinite)
- verðið = “the price” (definite)
Because verð is a neuter noun, its definite singular ending is -ið.
Why are there two prepositions (um and á) in a row?
They serve different roles:
- um
- accusative = “about” → um verðið (“about the price”)
- á
- dative = “on/at” in a locative or descriptive sense → á kökunni (“on the cake,” idiomatically “of the cake”)
So um verðið á kökunni = “about the price of the cake.”
- dative = “on/at” in a locative or descriptive sense → á kökunni (“on the cake,” idiomatically “of the cake”)
Why is kökuni in the dative case, and why does it end in -nni?
The preposition á here indicates a static relationship (“on the cake”), which selects the dative.
Kaka is a feminine noun. Its dative definite singular is formed by adding -nni to the stem:
- Stem of kaka in oblique cases: köku-
- Dative definite: kökunni = “(on) the cake.”
Could we have expressed “price of the cake” using genitive instead of á + dative?
Yes. You can say verð kökunnar, where kökunnar is the genitive definite of kaka. Both mean “price of the cake,” but
- verð kökunnar (noun + genitive)
- verðið á kökunni (definite noun + á
- dative)
The á + dative construction is very common with prices and measurements.
- dative)
Is it possible to drop við since the verb spurðum already signals “we”?
Yes. Icelandic verbs encode person and number, so you can omit the subject pronoun if context is clear:
- (Við) spurðum um verðið á kökunni.
Including við just adds emphasis or clarity.
Could you say um kökunnar verð instead of um verðið á kökunni?
Not quite. If you want a genitive construction with um, you’d say um verð kökunnar (“about the price of the cake”).
um kökunnar verð is unidiomatic because in Icelandic the head noun of a prepositional object normally comes immediately after the preposition.
What is the word order in Við spurðum um verðið á kökunni, and can it change?
Basic word order is Subject–Verb–Object/Prepositional Object:
- Við (subject)
- spurðum (verb)
- um verðið á kökunni (prepositional phrase = object)
Icelandic allows some flexibility, but moving um or splitting verðið á kökunni would sound awkward or change emphasis.
More from this lesson
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning IcelandicMaster Icelandic — from Við spurðum um verðið á kökunni to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions