Word
Ég á tvo stóra hesta.
Meaning
I have two big horses.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Ég á tvo stóra hesta.
Why does this sentence use á for "have" instead of hef?
In Icelandic, the verb eiga (here conjugated as á) is used when you literally own or possess something, like an animal, a car, or clothes. The verb hafa (hef) is mostly used as a helper verb (like "I have eaten") or for abstract concepts (like having time or having an idea).
Why is the number two written as tvo here instead of the dictionary form tveir?
In Icelandic, the numbers 1 through 4 change their form to match the gender and case of the noun they count. Because hesta (horses) is a masculine noun and is the object receiving the action (accusative case), the number two must take the masculine accusative form tvo.
Why does the adjective stóra (big) end in "-a"?
Just like numbers, adjectives must match the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. Stóra is the masculine, plural, accusative form of the adjective stór. It changes to perfectly match the grammar of the noun hesta.
Why is the word for horses hesta instead of hestar?