Ég hef ekki mikla matarlyst í dag, en ég get samt borðað eina pylsu.

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Breakdown of Ég hef ekki mikla matarlyst í dag, en ég get samt borðað eina pylsu.

• borða: to eat
• ekki: not
• geta: can

Questions & Answers about Ég hef ekki mikla matarlyst í dag, en ég get samt borðað eina pylsu.

Why is it Ég hef ekki and not Ég ekki hef?

Because in a normal Icelandic main clause, the finite verb usually comes early, in the typical V2 pattern. With the subject first, the order is:

subject + finite verb + ekki / adverb + rest

So:

Ég hef ekki mikla matarlyst ...
= I have not much appetite ...

If you moved something else to the front, the verb would still stay in second position:

Í dag hef ég ekki mikla matarlyst.
= Today I don’t have much appetite.

Why is it mikla matarlyst?

Because matarlyst is a feminine singular noun, and here it is the direct object of hafa (to have), so it is in the accusative.

The adjective mikill (much / great) has to agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:

• nominative feminine singular: mikil
• accusative feminine singular: mikla

So:

• mikil matarlyst = nominative
• mikla matarlyst = accusative

Here you need the accusative form: mikla.

Does the ekki make mikla matarlyst accusative?