Ég þarf kennitöluna þína.

I

Breakdown of Ég þarf kennitöluna þína.

• þurfa: to need
• þinn: your
• kennitala: the ID number

Questions & Answers about Ég þarf kennitöluna þína.

What are the grammatical roles and forms of each word here?

• Ég — first-person singular nominative pronoun: I.
• þarf — present tense, 1st person singular of þurfa: need.
• kennitöluna — the noun kennitala (ID number), in accusative singular, definite: “the ID number.” It shows vowel change (a → ö) and takes the definite ending -na.
• þína — possessive your (singular, informal), agreeing with a feminine accusative singular noun: your.

Why is kennitöluna in the accusative and definite?

• Accusative: þurfa governs the accusative for the thing needed, so the direct object is in the accusative.
• Definite: When a possessive pronoun is placed after the noun, the noun is typically made definite with the suffixed article. Hence: kennitöluna þína (“the ID number your” = “your ID number”).

Why does kennitala become kennitöluna (with ö and -na)?

It’s a combination of case and definiteness:

• Base noun: kennitala (fem., “ID number”).
• Accusative singular of this noun is kennitölu. The a → ö change is a regular sound change called u-umlaut, triggered by a following u in the ending.
• Definite accusative adds the article -na: kennitöluna.

Why is the possessive þína after the noun, and could it go before?