Questions & Answers about Faðirinn kemur heim eftir vinnu.
Why is it faðirinn and not just faðir?
Because -inn is the definite article attached to the noun.
- faðir = father / a father
- faðirinn = the father
Icelandic usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.
So in this sentence, faðirinn means the father.
What case is faðirinn, and why?
It is in the nominative singular because it is the subject of the sentence — the person doing the action.
The verb is kemur = comes, and the one who comes is faðirinn, so nominative is used.
This noun is a little irregular:
- nominative singular: faðir
- accusative singular: föður
- dative singular: föður
- genitive singular: föður
With the definite article in the nominative singular, it becomes faðirinn.
Why is the verb kemur?