Breakdown of Ég á tvo stóra hesta.
ég
I
stór
big
tveir
two
hesturinn
the horse (m)
eiga
to own / to have (a relationship)
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?
The dictionary form of horse is hestur. When it becomes plural, the subject form (nominative) is hestar. However, because the horses are the object being owned in this sentence, the word must be in the accusative case. For this specific masculine noun, the plural accusative form drops the "-r" to become hesta.
Learn Ég á tvo stóra hesta and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free