Breakdown of Hundurinn sleppur út.
hundurinn
the dog
út
out (motion outwards)
sleppa
to let go, to escape / to avoid / get out of
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Questions & Answers about Hundurinn sleppur út.
Why is the verb sleppur and not sleppir?
The verb sleppa is tricky because it has two versions. When it means 'to escape' (like in this sentence), it is a strong verb, and the 'he/she/it' form is sleppur. When it means 'to let go of', it acts as a weak verb and the form is sleppir.
Why use út instead of úti for 'outside'?
Icelandic place words change depending on whether there is movement. You use út for movement towards the outside (like escaping out), while úti is used when someone or something is already stationary outside.
Why is hundurinn in the nominative case?
Hundurinn is the subject of the sentence doing the escaping, so it stays in the basic nominative case. The verb sleppa in the sense of 'to escape' takes a normal nominative subject. The -inn at the end is the attached definite article, meaning 'the'.
How would you say 'The dogs escape outside'?
You would say Hundarnir sleppa út. The plural of hundur is hundar, and adding the plural 'the' makes it hundarnir. The verb then changes to its plural form, sleppa.