Question 1

Do adjectives connected by hvorki ... né both need to agree with the noun?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Both vond and ógeðsleg are in the feminine singular nominative form to agree with the subject, lyktin (the smell). Even though they are separated by the conjunctions, the standard grammar rules for adjective agreement still apply to both words.

Question 2

Where exactly do we place hvorki and né in the sentence?

Accepted Answer

You place them immediately before the words they are contrasting. Because this sentence contrasts two adjectives, hvorki goes right before the first adjective (vond) and né goes right before the second adjective (ógeðsleg).

Question 3

Why is the dative form bílnum used here after í instead of the accusative bílinn?

Accepted Answer

The preposition í takes the dative case when describing a stationary location, such as a smell existing inside a car. It only takes the accusative case when describing active movement into a destination.

Question 4

Why use vond instead of slæm for the word "bad"?

Accepted Answer

While both words mean bad, vondur is the natural choice when talking about sensory experiences like smells, tastes, and physical feelings. Slæmur is used more for situations, general quality, or abstract concepts.

Question 5

How is the word ógeðsleg built?

Accepted Answer

It comes from the noun ógeð, which means disgust or nausea. By taking its genitive (possessive) form ógeðs and adding the common adjective suffix -leg, we get a descriptive word that literally means disgusting.

Lyktin í bílnum var hvorki vond né ógeðsleg.

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