Breakdown of Kynnirinn ræður tímamörkunum, er það ekki?
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
ekki
not
ráða
to decide, to be in charge
kynnirinn
the host (presenter)
tímamörkin
the time limit
Questions & Answers about Kynnirinn ræður tímamörkunum, er það ekki?
Why is the question tag er það ekki? used here instead of matching the verb and subject to say "doesn't he"?
Unlike English, which changes its question tags to match the subject and verb (doesn't he, aren't they, will she), Icelandic keeps it simple. The phrase er það ekki? (literally "is it not?") is used as a universal question tag for confirmation, regardless of who or what the main sentence is about.
Why is tímamörkunum in the dative case?
It is forced into the dative case by the verb ræður (from the infinitive ráða, meaning to decide, control, or determine). Ráða is a verb that strictly requires its object to take the dative case.
The English translation says "the time limit" (singular), but doesn't tímamörkunum have a plural ending?
Yes, good catch! Tímamörk is a neuter noun that is almost always used in the plural in Icelandic. When we add the plural dative definite article -unum, we get tímamörkunum. Even though it is grammatically plural in Icelandic, it naturally translates to the singular "time limit" in English.
Is kynnirinn a plural word? The -ir in the middle makes it look plural.
It is actually singular. The base word for "host" or "presenter" is kynnir, which is a masculine noun that just happens to end in -ir in its basic dictionary form. To say "the host", you simply add the masculine singular definite article -inn to the end, giving you kynnirinn.
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