Questions & Answers about Erfinginn er ungur strákur.
Why is the adjective ungur in the strong form instead of the weak form ungi?
Because the noun it describes, strákur, does not have the definite article attached. When an adjective stands with an indefinite noun, it takes the strong declension.
How does the word erfingi (heir) get its definite article?
Erfingi is a weak masculine noun, which means it ends in a vowel (-i) in the nominative case. To make it definite (the heir), you just attach -nn instead of the full -inn, giving us erfinginn.
Why are ungur strákur in the nominative case rather than the accusative?
The verb vera (to be) acts as an equals sign between the subject and its description. It does not take a direct object, so both erfinginn (the heir) and ungur strákur (a young boy) stay in the nominative case.
How would I apply this lesson's word helmingur (half) to say half of the heirs?
The noun helmingur requires the group being divided to be in the genitive case. The genitive plural of erfingi is erfingja, so to say half of the heirs, you would say helmingur erfingjanna.
Learn Erfinginn er ungur strákur and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free