Breakdown of Þær velja alltaf sömu hárgreiðsluna.
þær
they (f)
alltaf
always
velja
to choose
sami
the same (masculine, sister forms: sama, sömu)
hárgreiðslan
the hairstyle
Questions & Answers about Þær velja alltaf sömu hárgreiðsluna.
Why does the noun have the attached article in sömu hárgreiðsluna? Don't weak adjectives usually need a separate word for "the"?
You've spotted the exact quirk of the word sami (the same)! Even though sami only uses weak endings (like sömu here), it pairs directly with a noun that has the definite article attached to it at the end (hárgreiðslu-na). Most other adjectives would need the free-standing article (like hin nýja hárgreiðsla), but sami is a special exception that breaks that rule.
Why is the word for "same" spelled sömu in this sentence instead of sama?
It's because of the verb velja (to choose), which forces its object into the accusative case. The word for "hairstyle" (hárgreiðsla) is a feminine noun. The feminine singular accusative form of the weak adjective sami is sömu.
How does the word hárgreiðsluna break down?
It's a compound of hár (hair) and greiðsla (combing/arrangement). The base noun greiðsla is feminine. Because it is the object of the verb, it drops into the accusative case (greiðslu). Finally, because of the rule with sami, we add the feminine accusative attached definite article (-na) to get hárgreiðsluna.
Could I use þeir instead of þær at the start of the sentence?
Only if "they" refers to a group of men (or grammatically masculine nouns). Because þær is the feminine plural pronoun, this sentence specifically tells us that a group of females are choosing the hairstyle. If it were a mixed-gender group of people, you would use the neuter pronoun þau.
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