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Ég smakka nýjan ost og hún smakkar tómata.

Ég smakka nýjan ost og hún smakkar tómata.
I taste new cheese and she tastes tomatoes.
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Questions & Answers about Ég smakka nýjan ost og hún smakkar tómata.

Why is it nýjan ost and not nýr ostur?

Because the noun is a direct object. In Icelandic, direct objects typically take the accusative case, and adjectives must agree with the noun in case, number, and gender.

  • Nominative (subject): nýr ostur (new cheese)
  • Accusative (object): nýjan ost (new cheese) Here, ostur (m.) becomes ost in the accusative singular, and the adjective nýr becomes nýjan to match it.
What case are nýjan ost and tómata in?

Accusative. The verb smakka (to taste) is transitive and takes its object in the accusative case:

  • nýjan ost = accusative singular
  • tómata = accusative (could be singular or plural; see below)
Is tómata singular or plural here?

It’s ambiguous in form. For tómatur (tomato, m.):

  • Accusative singular: tómata
  • Accusative plural: tómata Context (or a number/quantifier) clarifies:
  • Singular: hún smakkar einn tómata (she tastes one tomato)
  • Plural: hún smakkar marga tómata (she tastes many tomatoes)
Why does the verb change from smakka to smakkar?

Present tense personal endings:

  • 1st person singular: ég smakka
  • 2nd person singular: þú smakkar
  • 3rd person singular: hann/hún/það smakkar
  • 1st person plural: við smökkum
  • 2nd person plural: þið smakkið
  • 3rd person plural: þeir/þær/þau smakka So ég smakka vs hún smakkar is just subject–verb agreement in person/number.
Why is there no word for “a” or “the”? How would I say “the cheese” or “the tomatoes”?

Icelandic has no separate indefinite article (no word for “a/an”). Definiteness is usually marked with a suffixed article:

  • Indefinite object: nýjan ost (new cheese / a new cheese)
  • Definite singular: ostinn (the cheese), e.g., Ég smakka ostinn
  • Definite plural: tómatana (the tomatoes, accusative pl.), e.g., Hún smakkar tómatana
Could I say “I am tasting” with a progressive form?

Yes, but Icelandic usually uses the simple present for ongoing actions. If you want a clear progressive, use vera að + infinitive:

  • Simple present (also “am tasting” in context): Ég smakka nýjan ost
  • Progressive-like: Ég er að smakka nýjan ost
What is the infinitive, and why isn’t að used here?
The dictionary (infinitive) form is að smakka (to taste). You only use að with non-finite verbs (e.g., after modal-like verbs): Ég vil að smakka is wrong; correct is Ég vil smakka ost (I want to taste cheese). In a finite present-tense sentence, you conjugate: Ég smakka.
How do adjectives agree with nouns in Icelandic?

They agree in gender, number, and case, and they come before the noun in this kind of phrase:

  • Masculine nominative singular: nýr ostur
  • Masculine accusative singular: nýjan ost
  • Feminine nominative singular: ný (e.g., ný kaka)
  • Neuter nominative/accusative singular: nýtt (e.g., nýtt brauð)
How would I negate these sentences?

Place ekki (not) after the finite verb:

  • Ég smakka ekki nýjan ost
  • Hún smakkar ekki tómata
What is the basic word order?

Neutral Icelandic word order is SVO (subject–verb–object), as here:

  • Ég (S) smakka (V) nýjan ost (O)
  • hún (S) smakkar (V) tómata (O) Coordinating with og (and) simply joins two clauses; no inversion is needed.
How would I turn the second clause into a yes–no question?

Front the verb:

  • Statement: Hún smakkar tómata.
  • Question: Smakkar hún tómata?
Why does kk sound like a harsh “k/hk”?
In Icelandic orthography, double stops often signal a devoiced, aspirated or “split” sound. kk is pronounced roughly like [hk]. So smakka sounds like [SMAH-kha], and smakkar like [SMAH-khar].
How do I pronounce Ég and og in this sentence?
  • Ég is typically like “yehg” with a soft g-sound at the end.
  • og (and) is often reduced; before words starting with h (like hún), it’s commonly pronounced like “ok”: og hún ≈ “ok hún.”
Is smakka always about tasting food? Are there synonyms?

smakka is primarily “to taste” (especially food/drink). You may also see:

  • prófa = to try (more general, not just tasting)
  • bragða = to taste (somewhat literary; also “flavor” as bragð) For food/drink sampling, smakka is the safest everyday choice.
Could I drop the subject pronouns like in Spanish?
No. Icelandic is not a pro-drop language in the modern standard. You normally keep the subject pronoun: Ég smakka…, Hún smakkar…