Word
Hann talar íslensku sæmilega.
Meaning
He speaks Icelandic reasonably well.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Hann talar íslensku sæmilega.
hann
he
tala
to speak
íslenska
Icelandic (the language)
sæmilega
reasonably, fairly well
Questions & Answers about Hann talar íslensku sæmilega.
Why does the word for Icelandic end in "-u" here (íslensku)?
The base word for the Icelandic language is íslenska, which is a feminine noun. The verb talar (speaks) requires the language being spoken to be in the accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in -a, the accusative ending changes to -u.
How is the adverb sæmilega (reasonably well) formed?
Do we ever add the definite article to languages, like saying "He speaks the Icelandic"?
No, just like in English, we leave the definite article off when talking about speaking a language. You simply say Hann talar íslensku, never Hann talar íslenskuna.
Does the verb tala mean both "speak" and "talk"?
Yes! While English distinguishes between speaking a language and talking to someone, Icelandic uses the verb að tala for both situations.