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Questions & Answers about Hún keypti nýja tösku nýlega.
Which word is the subject, and what’s the basic structure here?
- Subject: Hún (nominative, “she”)
- Finite verb (2nd position as in normal Icelandic main clauses): keypti (past of kaupa)
- Direct object: nýja tösku (accusative noun phrase)
- Time adverb: nýlega
Overall order: Subject – Verb – Object – Adverb. Icelandic main clauses are verb‑second (V2): the finite verb appears in the second slot.
What case is “tösku” and why?
Tösku is accusative singular. The verb kaupa (“to buy”) is a transitive verb that takes its direct object in the accusative. Hence the feminine noun taska appears as tösku in the accusative singular.
Why does “taska” become “tösku” with an ö?
That’s due to u‑umlaut (vowel mutation): an a in the stem becomes ö when followed by a historical u‑ending (like the accusative singular ending ‑u). So:
- Nominative singular: taska
- Accusative singular: tösku The mutation is baked into the modern forms even though learners just memorize them as part of the noun’s paradigm.
Why is the adjective “nýja” and not “ný” or “nýju”?
Adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number, and case and take the strong declension when the noun phrase is indefinite.
- tösku is feminine, singular, accusative, indefinite.
- The strong feminine accusative singular of nýr is nýja. If the phrase were definite, the adjective would switch to the weak declension: nýju (see next question).
How would I say “the new bag” in this sentence?
Use the suffixed definite article on the noun and the weak adjective:
- Hún keypti nýju töskuna. Here:
- töskuna = definite accusative singular (tösku + ‑na)
- nýju = weak feminine accusative singular (agrees with a definite noun)
Can the adverb “nýlega” move to other positions?
Yes. Common options (all grammatical, with slight differences in emphasis):
- Hún keypti nýlega nýja tösku.
- Hún keypti nýja tösku nýlega.
- Nýlega keypti hún nýja tösku. (time adverb first; verb still 2nd) Positioning mainly affects focus, not truth conditions.
Is “kaupa” regular? How do I get “keypti”?
Kaupa is a weak verb (dental past), but it also undergoes i‑umlaut in the past.
- Present: ég kaupi, þú kaupir, hún/hann kaupir
- Past: ég keypti, þú keyptir, hún/hann keypti; við keyptum, þið keyptuð, þau keyptu
- Supine/participle used with “hafa”: keypt (e.g., hún hefur keypt)
What’s the difference between “Hún keypti …” and “Hún hefur keypt …”?
- Preterite (keypti) states a completed past event (often the default with adverbs like “recently”).
- Present perfect (hefur keypt) highlights relevance to the present or an unspecified time before now. Both are possible with “nýlega,” but the simple past is very natural here.
How do I pronounce each word?
- Hún: [huːn] (ú like a long “oo”)
- keypti: [ˈceip̥tɪ] (“ey” ≈ “ay” in “say,” short; cluster p̥t is voiceless)
- nýja: [ˈniːja] (“ný” = long “nee,” “j” like English “y”)
- tösku: [ˈtœskʏ] (“ö” like rounded “u” in British “nurse”; final “u” short, like German “ü”)
- nýlega: [ˈniːlɛɣa] (intervocalic “g” ≈ voiced velar fricative [ɣ]) Stress is on the first syllable of each word.
How do I make a yes–no question or negate the sentence?
- Yes–no question (verb first): Keypti hún nýja tösku nýlega?
- Negation: place ekki after the finite verb
- Statement: Hún keypti ekki nýja tösku (nýlega).
- Question: Keypti hún ekki nýja tösku (nýlega)? If you specifically mean “not recently,” say ekki nýlega.
Are there synonyms for “nýlega”? Do they differ?
- nýverið ≈ “recently,” a bit more formal or written.
- undanfarið ≈ “lately/recently (over a period),” often used with present perfect or present to describe an ongoing timeframe. Choice affects nuance (single event vs. a period), not grammar.
Could I use a different word for “bag,” and what changes?
Yes:
- veski (n., “wallet/purse”): Hún keypti nýtt veski nýlega. (neuter acc sg: nýtt)
- poki (m., “bag/sack”): Hún keypti nýjan poka nýlega. (masc acc sg: nýjan)
- bakpoki (m., “backpack”): Hún keypti nýjan bakpoka nýlega.
How would I say “She bought two new bags recently”?
Hún keypti tvær nýjar töskur nýlega.
- tvær = feminine accusative plural of “two” (tveir/tvær/tvö)
- nýjar = strong feminine accusative plural
- töskur = feminine accusative plural of taska
Can I front the object for emphasis?
Yes. Object‑fronting is common for focus:
- Nýja tösku keypti hún nýlega. This emphasizes the object (“a new bag”) while keeping the finite verb in second position.
What are the other forms of “hún” (she/her)?
- Nominative: hún (subject)
- Accusative: hana
- Dative: henni
- Genitive: hennar