Breakdown of Skjárinn varð skemmdur þegar hann datt á gólfið.
þegar
when
verða
to become
gólfið
the floor
hann
it
Questions & Answers about Skjárinn varð skemmdur þegar hann datt á gólfið.
Why is it Skjárinn and not just skjár?
Skjárinn means the screen. Icelandic usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.
- skjár = screen
- skjárinn = the screen
So the -inn ending is the suffixed definite article.
Why does the sentence use varð skemmdur?
Varð is the past tense of verða, which means become or get.
So varð skemmdur literally means became damaged or got damaged.
This is very natural in Icelandic when describing a change of state:
- Hann varð þreyttur = He became tired
- Skjárinn varð skemmdur = The screen got damaged
If you used var skemmdur, that would mean was damaged, which describes a state, not so clearly the moment of change.
Why is it skemmdur with -ur at the end?