Hún talar hljóðlátt þegar barnið sefur.

to speak

Breakdown of Hún talar hljóðlátt þegar barnið sefur.

• hún: she
• barnið: the child
• sofa: to sleep

Questions & Answers about Hún talar hljóðlátt þegar barnið sefur.

Why is hljóðlátt used here? I thought adjectives had to agree with nouns.

Here hljóðlátt is functioning as an adverb, not as an adjective modifying a noun.

In Icelandic, many adverbs are formed from the neuter singular form of an adjective. The adjective hljóðlátur means quiet:

• masculine: hljóðlátur
• feminine: hljóðlát
• neuter: hljóðlátt

When used adverbially, the neuter form often means quietly. So:

• hún er hljóðlát = she is quiet
• hún talar hljóðlátt = she speaks quietly

So the -tt ending is not agreeing with hún; it is showing the adverbial form.

What does talar mean exactly? Is it talks or speaks?

Talar is the present-tense form of tala, which can mean both talk and speak, depending on context.

So hún talar hljóðlátt could be understood as:

• she speaks quietly
• she talks quietly

English often distinguishes speak and talk more sharply than Icelandic does, so tala covers both in many situations.

Why is it and not just ?