Question 1

Why is sjálfur in the nominative case here instead of the accusative, since it comes right after the accusative word verkstæðið?

Accepted Answer

Even though it sits next to the object verkstæðið (the workshop), sjálfur (myself) is emphasizing the subject of the sentence, ég (I). Because ég is doing the action and is in the nominative case, sjálfur must also take the nominative case to match it.

Question 2

The word sjálfur is masculine. Does this mean the speaker is male?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The pronoun sjálfur changes to match the gender of the person or thing it refers to. Since it is sjálfur here, the speaker is a man. A female speaker would say sjálf, and someone using gender-neutral language would use the neuter sjálft.

Question 3

Could I put sjálfur right next to ég instead of later in the sentence?

Accepted Answer

In Icelandic, it is much more natural to place sjálfur after the object (verkstæðið) when you just mean you will do the task yourself instead of having someone else do it. Putting it right after the pronoun, like Ég sjálfur ætla..., sounds extremely dramatic and poetic, similar to saying "I, myself, shall..." in English.

Question 4

Just to review, why does the word verkstæðið end with a -ð here?

Accepted Answer

The base word is verkstæði (workshop), which is a neuter noun. The -ð at the end is the attached definite article, turning it into "the workshop". It is in the accusative case here because it is the object being painted, but remember that for all neuter words, the accusative form looks exactly the same as the nominative form.

Ég ætla að mála verkstæðið sjálfur í dag.

Breakdown of Ég ætla að mála verkstæðið sjálfur í dag.

Questions & Answers about Ég ætla að mála verkstæðið sjálfur í dag.

Learn Ég ætla að mála verkstæðið sjálfur í dag and more in Icelandic