Breakdown of Tölvuleikurinn virkar betur á nýjum hugbúnaði.
á
on
nýr
new
virka
to work
tölvuleikurinn
the computer game
betur
better
hugbúnaðurinn
the software
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Tölvuleikurinn virkar betur á nýjum hugbúnaði.
What does the suffix -inn in Tölvuleikurinn signify?
In Icelandic, definiteness is marked by an article attached to the end of the noun rather than by a separate word.
- Tölvuleikur = “computer game” (indefinite)
- Tölvuleikurinn = “the computer game” (definite)
Here -inn is the masculine singular definite article for a strong-declension noun.
What is the verb virkar, and how is it formed?
- Infinitive: að virka (“to work,” “to function”)
- virkar is the present tense, 3rd person singular form.
It is an intransitive verb, so it does not take a direct object. In context it means “(it) works/functions.”
How is the comparative betur formed, and why not betra?
- vel (“well”) is the positive adverb.
- Its irregular comparative is betur (“better”).
- betra would be the neuter singular comparative adjective of góður (“good”), not an adverb. Since we’re comparing how something works (i.e. adverbially), we use betur.
Why is the preposition á used here, and when does it take the dative vs. the accusative?
- á can govern accusative for movement toward (“onto”)
- á takes dative for a static location or environment (“on,” “in the context of”)
In our sentence “the game works better on new software,” nothing is moving – it’s a static relationship. Therefore á demands the dative.
Why are nýjum and hugbúnaði in the dative singular, and why do they both end in -um (which looks plural)?
Both words agree in case, number, and gender with the preposition á + dative rule:
- hugbúnaður (masculine noun) → dative singular hugbúnaði
- nýr (adjective “new”) → strong declension, masculine dative singular nýjum
It so happens that in Icelandic many strong adjectives have -um in both masc. dative sing. and masc. dative pl., so it can look like a plural ending even when singular.
Why is the adjective nýjum in the strong declension rather than the weak?
Adjectives follow strong endings when they modify an indefinite noun (no article, no demonstrative). Since we have án article before nýjum hugbúnaði (“on new software” = indefinite), the adjective takes the strong-declension dative ending -um. If it were definite (e.g. á nýja hugbúnaðinum “on the new software”), the adjective would use the weak ending -a.
Why is there no separate article before nýjum hugbúnaði to mean “new software”?
Icelandic does not use an indefinite article (“a”/“an”) at all. Indefiniteness is shown by leaving the noun un-suffixed (and by using strong adjective endings). So “new software” = nýr hugbúnaður in the bare form, and when you put it into dative after á, you get á nýjum hugbúnaði.
Why is the word order Subject–Verb–Object here, and how does Icelandic’s V2 rule work?
Icelandic is a V2 (verb-second) language: the finite verb must appear in the second position in the sentence. In our example:
- Tölvuleikurinn (subject, 1st position)
- virkar (verb, 2nd position)
- betur á nýjum hugbúnaði (the rest)
If you fronted another element (e.g. Í nýjum hugbúnaði), the verb virkar would still stay in slot 2:- Í nýjum hugbúnaði | virkar | tölvuleikurinn | betur.