Kennarinn leiðréttir setningarnar mínar strax.

The teacher corrects my sentences immediately.

Breakdown of Kennarinn leiðréttir setningarnar mínar strax.

• minn: my
• kennarinn: the teacher
• strax: immediately
• setningin: the sentence
• leiðrétta: to correct

Questions & Answers about Kennarinn leiðréttir setningarnar mínar strax.

Why does Kennarinn end in -inn? Is that “the”?

Yes. Icelandic usually puts the definite article (“the”) on the end of the noun as a suffix.

• kennari = a teacher
• kennarinn = the teacher (nominative singular)

So -inn here marks “the” and also matches the noun’s gender/case (masculine, nominative singular).

Why is Kennarinn in the nominative case?

Because it’s the subject of the sentence—the person doing the action. In Icelandic, the subject is typically in the nominative (though there are exceptions with certain verbs). Here, Kennarinn is the doer of leiðréttir (“corrects”).

What form is leiðréttir and how do I know who is doing it?

Leiðréttir is the present tense, 3rd person singular form of the verb leiðrétta (“to correct”). It agrees with the subject:

• (ég) leiðrétti = I correct
• (þú) leiðréttir = you (sing.) correct
• (hann/hún/það / kennarinn) leiðréttir = he/she/it / the teacher corrects

So the -ir ending tells you it’s “he/she/it/the teacher” (3rd singular) in the present.

Why is setningarnar written with -arnar at the end?

Because it’s definite plural of setning (“sentence”), and setning is feminine.

• setning = a sentence
• setningar = sentences
• setningarnar = the sentences (plural, with the definite article attached)

The exact ending changes by gender and case; here it’s the form used for “the sentences” in the role it has in this sentence.

What case is setningarnar in here, and why?

It’s the direct object (“the sentences” being corrected), so it’s in the accusative. Many Icelandic verbs take an accusative object, and leiðrétta is one of them.

Why is it setningarnar mínar and not setningar mínar?

Because the noun phrase is definite (“the sentences”), so the noun carries the definite article suffix: setningarnar. The possessive mínar then modifies that definite noun.

If you remove the definite article, you get an indefinite meaning:

• setningar mínar = my sentences (more like “some sentences of mine / my (indefinite) sentences”)
• setningarnar mínar = my (specific) sentences / the sentences of mine (definite)

In normal everyday Icelandic, the definite form is very common when you mean a specific set you both have in mind.

Why does the possessive look like mínar (plural) and not mín?

Possessives agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case.
Here the noun is:

• feminine (setning is feminine)
• plural (setningar)
• accusative (object position)

So the possessive must match: mínar = my (feminine plural, accusative/nominative form).
You’d use different forms in other combinations, e.g.:

• mín (fem. singular) with setning in some cases
• mitt (neut. singular) with a neuter noun
• mínir (masc. plural) with a masculine plural noun

Where does minar get pronounced stress, and how do I pronounce mínar and leiðréttir?

Icelandic stress is almost always on the first syllable of a word.

• MÍ-nar (stress on MÍ)
• LEIÐ-rétt-ir (stress on LEIÐ)

A few pronunciation notes (approximate for an English speaker):

• í is like a long “ee” (but Icelandic-quality), so mín- is roughly “meen-”.
• ei in leið- is like “ay” (but not exactly English “day”).
• ð in leið is often like the th in “this” (voiced), though it can be very soft depending on context.
• Double consonants like tt in rétt are “longer/stronger” than a single t.

Why is strax at the end? Can it move?

Sentence-final placement is very common for adverbs like strax (“immediately/right away”), but you can move it for emphasis or style. For example:

• Kennarinn leiðréttir setningarnar mínar strax. (neutral)
• Kennarinn leiðréttir strax setningarnar mínar. (emphasizes “immediately” a bit more)
• Strax leiðréttir kennarinn setningarnar mínar. (fronting strax for stronger emphasis; more marked)

All are possible, but the first is the most straightforward.

Does Icelandic require this word order (Subject–Verb–Object)?

Not strictly, because case endings show grammatical roles. However, Icelandic has strong word-order patterns:

• In a main clause, the finite verb is typically in the second position (V2 tendency).
  Your sentence fits that: Kennarinn (1st position) + leiðréttir (2nd) + the rest.

You can put something else first (like Strax), but then the verb still tends to stay second.

Could I drop the subject pronoun like in Spanish (e.g., just say “Corrects my sentences immediately”)?

Usually no. Icelandic generally does not drop subject pronouns the way Spanish or Italian can. You typically need an explicit subject (a noun like kennarinn or a pronoun like hann/hún), except in special contexts (imperatives, some diary style, etc.).

What’s the dictionary form of each word in the sentence?

• Kennarinn → kennari (noun: teacher)
• leiðréttir → leiðrétta (verb: to correct)
• setningarnar → setning (noun: sentence)
• mínar → minn (possessive adjective: my)
• strax → strax (adverb: immediately)

Looking up the base forms helps because Icelandic words appear in many inflected shapes depending on case/number/tense.

Is there anything “special” about leiðrétta—like separable prefixes or tricky grammar?

The verb leiðrétta is not separable the way some German verbs are; it behaves as a normal verb. The main “grammar point” is that it typically takes an accusative object, which is why setningarnar is in the accusative form.