Breakdown of Strákurinn er hræddur og grætur.
vera
to be
og
and
strákurinn
the boy
gráta
to cry
hræddur
afraid, frightened
Questions & Answers about Strákurinn er hræddur og grætur.
Why does the word for "afraid" end in -ur (hræddur)?
Hræddur is an adjective, and in Icelandic, adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because strákurinn (the boy) is a masculine noun, the adjective takes the masculine singular ending -ur. If the sentence were about a girl (stelpan), it would be hrædd, and for a neuter noun like barnið (the child), it would be hrætt.
The verb for "cries" is grætur, but isn't the dictionary form gráta? Where did the æ come from?
Yes, the dictionary form (infinitive) is gráta. Many common Icelandic verbs undergo a vowel change in the present tense when the subject is singular (I, you, he/she/it). Here, the root vowel á shifts to æ to make grætur (he/she/it cries).
The English translation says "cries", but could grætur also mean "is crying"?
Exactly! Icelandic often uses the simple present tense for actions happening right now. The word grætur can mean both "cries" as a general habit and "is crying" at this very moment. You could also use the continuous structure er að gráta, but simply saying grætur is very common and natural.
How does the word strákurinn mean "the boy" instead of just "a boy"?
In Icelandic, the word "the" is not a separate word that comes before the noun; instead, it is attached to the end. The base word for "boy" is strákur. Because it is a masculine word, you attach the masculine definite article suffix -inn to the end, giving you strákurinn.
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