Ég elska leikfangið.

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Breakdown of Ég elska leikfangið.

• elska: to love
• leikfang: the toy

Questions & Answers about Ég elska leikfangið.

Why does leikfang end with -ið in this sentence?

In Icelandic, the definite article (the) is usually added as an ending on the noun instead of being a separate word.

• leikfang = toy
• leikfangið = the toy

Here:

• -ið is the definite ending for neuter singular nouns in the nominative and accusative cases.
• Since leikfang is neuter, you add -ið to say the toy.

So Ég elska leikfangið means I love the toy, not just I love a toy.

What case is leikfangið in, and why?

leikfangið is in the accusative singular.

Reason:

• elska (to love) is a transitive verb, so its direct object is in the accusative case.
• The direct object here is leikfangið (the thing being loved).

For neuter nouns like leikfang, the nominative singular and accusative singular look the same:

• nominative singular definite: leikfangið
• accusative singular definite: leikfangið

So the form doesn’t change, but functionally it is accusative in this sentence.

What gender is leikfang, and how does that affect the ending?