Breakdown of Hún talar mörg tungumál, til dæmis dönsku.
hún
she
tala
to speak
tungumálið
the language
margur
many
danska
Danish (the language)
til dæmis
for example
Questions & Answers about Hún talar mörg tungumál, til dæmis dönsku.
Why is the word for "many" mörg here, instead of margir or margar?
The adjective must match the noun it describes in gender, number, and case. Tungumál (language) is a neuter noun. Since she speaks many languages, it's plural, and as the object of the verb talar (speaks), it's in the accusative case. The neuter, plural, accusative form of the adjective meaning "many" is mörg.
Why doesn't tungumál have a plural ending to show it means "languages"?
Tungumál is a neuter noun. In Icelandic, neuter nouns that end in a consonant in their singular form (like mál, barn, or hús) look exactly the same in their plural nominative and accusative forms. You have to rely on context or surrounding words—like the plural adjective mörg—to know it's plural!
What does til dæmis literally mean, and why is there an "-s" on dæmis?
The phrase literally translates to "to example." The preposition til always forces the noun that follows it into the genitive (possessive) case. The neuter noun dæmi (example) adds an -s to make the genitive form dæmis.
Why is Danish written as dönsku instead of the dictionary form danska?
Even though it comes after "for example," the word dönsku is still acting as the object of the verb talar. Since talar takes the accusative case for what is being spoken, the weak feminine noun danska changes its ending from -a to -u, becoming dönsku.
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