Breakdown of Mun nokkur stíga á þetta gamla gólfborð?
gamall
old
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
þessi
this (m/f)
stíga
to step
munu
will
nokkur
anybody / any
gólfborðið
the floorboard
Questions & Answers about Mun nokkur stíga á þetta gamla gólfborð?
Why use nokkur here instead of einhver?
In questions and negative sentences, nokkur is used in the singular to mean 'any' or 'anybody'. While einhver means 'somebody' or 'someone', using nokkur here asks if anyone at all will step on the floorboard.
What gender and case is nokkur in this sentence?
It is in the nominative case because it acts as the subject of the sentence. When referring to an unspecified person ('anybody' or 'anyone') in Icelandic, you use the default masculine singular form, which is nokkur.
Why is þetta gamla gólfborð in the accusative case? Doesn't the preposition á take the dative?
The preposition á takes the dative when describing a stationary location (resting on something), but it takes the accusative when describing movement or an action directed onto something. Since the action is stepping onto the floorboard, the accusative is required.
If gólfborð is a neuter noun, why is the adjective gamla instead of gamalt?
Although gamalt is the regular (strong) neuter form, the adjective here comes right after the demonstrative pronoun þetta (this). This triggers the weak declension. For a neuter singular noun in the weak declension, the adjective ends in -a, making it gamla.
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