Breakdown of Hver erfingi fær þriðjung af peningunum.
fá
to get
peningurinn
the money
af
of (in quantity expressions)
hver
each / every
erfinginn
the heir
þriðjungurinn
the third
Questions & Answers about Hver erfingi fær þriðjung af peningunum.
The lesson is about hálfur and helmingur. How does þriðjung fit into this?
Just like helmingur (a half), most other specific fractions in Icelandic such as þriðjungur (a third) and fjórðungur (a quarter) are masculine nouns, not adjectives. It drops the -ur and becomes þriðjung here because it is the accusative direct object of the verb fær.
Why is the word for money in the plural form (peningunum)?
In Icelandic, the word peningur technically means 'coin', and it is almost always used in the plural (peningar) to mean 'money' as a general concept. Here it is in the dative plural with the attached definite article (-unum) because it is triggered by the preposition af.
Doesn't hver usually mean 'who' or 'which'?
Yes, when used as a question word. However, when used as a determiner in front of a singular noun, hver means 'each' or 'every'. It changes its ending to match the gender and case of the noun, which is why it is in the masculine nominative form here to match erfingi (heir).
What is the infinitive form of the verb fær?
The infinitive is fá (to get, receive). It is an irregular verb. Fær is the third-person singular present tense, used here because the subject 'each heir' acts as a singular 'he/she'.
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