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Mig vantar tveggja eða þriggja metra spýtu.

Mig vantar tveggja eða þriggja metra spýtu.
I need a two or three-meter stick.
From Lesson 244:Genitive numbers 1 to 4 (einna, tveggja, þriggja, fjögurra)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Mig vantar tveggja eða þriggja metra spýtu.

Why do we use the forms tveggja and þriggja instead of tveir and þrír?
These are the genitive plural forms of the numbers two and three. In Icelandic, when you describe the measurement or size of something, both the number and the unit of measurement take the genitive case.
Do tveggja and þriggja change depending on the gender of the word metri?
No! Unlike the nominative or accusative cases, the genitive plural forms for the numbers 1 to 4 are exactly the same across masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns. You just use tveggja and þriggja regardless of gender.
Why does the sentence start with Mig instead of Ég?
The verb vanta (to need or lack) is an impersonal verb. It forces the person who needs something into the accusative case. Because of this, the normal subject ég becomes mig.
What case is the object spýtu in?
It is in the accusative case. The verb vanta is unusual because it takes both an accusative subject (mig) and an accusative object (spýtu). The dictionary form is the feminine noun spýta, which changes to spýtu in the accusative.
Why is metra used here instead of the basic plural metrar?
Metra is the genitive plural of the masculine noun metri. Because it is part of a phrase describing the stick's measurement, it must be in the genitive case alongside the numbers. It literally translates to a stick of two or three meters.

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