Questions & Answers about Hann segir brandara og allir hlæja hátt.
Why is it brandara and not brandari in Hann segir brandara?
Icelandic marks the object of the verb with case.
- brandari = nominative (the “dictionary form”)
- brandara = accusative
In this sentence, brandari “a joke” is the direct object of segir “(he) says / tells”, so it must be in the accusative: Hann segir brandara = “He tells a joke.”
You would use brandari (nominative) only when it is the subject, e.g.
- Brandari er fyndinn. – “The / a joke is funny.”
Why is it allir and not alla or öllum in allir hlæja hátt?
Allir is the nominative plural masculine form of allur (“all / everyone”). The subject of the clause must be in nominative, so:
- allir = nominative plural (subject) → Allir hlæja hátt. – “Everybody laughs loudly.”
- alla = accusative plural (object)
- öllum = dative plural (indirect object / after many prepositions)
So you say Allir hlæja hátt, not Alla hlæja hátt, because “everybody” is doing the laughing.
Is hlæja here an infinitive or a present tense form? How does it work?