Afmælisbarnið blæs á kertin og hlær hátt.

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Breakdown of Afmælisbarnið blæs á kertin og hlær hátt.

• hlæja: to laugh
• hátt: loudly
• kertið: the candle

Questions & Answers about Afmælisbarnið blæs á kertin og hlær hátt.

What does Afmælisbarnið literally mean, and how is it built?

Afmælisbarnið means the birthday child (i.e., the person whose birthday it is).

It’s a compound:

• afmæli = birthday
• barn = child
• plus the definite ending -ið because barn is neuter: barnið = the child

So:

• afmælisbarn = birthday child (indefinite)
• afmælisbarnið = the birthday child (definite)

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Why is the subject in the definite form (-ið) here?

Icelandic often uses the definite form when you mean a specific, known person/thing—similar to English the.

Here, in a birthday context, there is typically one salient person: the birthday child/person, so Afmælisbarnið is natural.

Indefinite would be possible in a different context:

• Afmælisbarn blæs á kertin. = A birthday child blows on the candles (more generic/odd in a normal birthday scene)

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What tense is blæs and what is its dictionary form?