Questions & Answers about Blómið deyr án vatns.
Why is the word for water vatns here instead of vatn?
The preposition án (without) always forces the noun that follows it to take the genitive case. The genitive form of the neuter noun vatn is vatns.
What is the dictionary form of the verb deyr?
The infinitive (dictionary form) is deyja (to die). It has an irregular conjugation, so in the present tense for "it" (the flower), the vowel changes and it becomes deyr.
Does the preposition án ever take a case other than the genitive?
No, án is one of the prepositions in Icelandic that strictly requires the genitive case. Whenever you say "without" something, that following noun must be in the genitive form.
Why does blómið use the ending -ið for "the" instead of -inn or -in?
The word blóm (flower) is a neuter noun. Because it is the subject of the sentence (nominative case), the definite article "the" for neuter nouns is -ið, making it blómið.
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