Question 1

Why does the word for downpour end in -sins here (steypiregnsins)?

Accepted Answer

The phrase hlakka til (to look forward to) ends with the preposition til, which always forces the following noun into the genitive case. Here, the neuter noun steypiregn (downpour) becomes steypiregns in the genitive, and adding the definite article for "the" makes it steypiregnsins.

Question 2

How would I use the fara að construction from this lesson to say "The child is starting to look forward to the downpour"?

Accepted Answer

You would say: Barnið fer að hlakka til steypiregnsins. You conjugate fara to match the subject (Barnið fer), add að, and leave the main verb in the infinitive (hlakka).

Question 3

I've heard some Icelanders say things like mér hlakkar til. Why is barnið in the nominative case here instead of the dative?

Accepted Answer

Grammatically, hlakka takes a normal nominative subject, which is why barnið is used correctly here. However, many native speakers mistakenly use the dative case (like mér hlakkar) because they confuse it with other verbs expressing feelings that do take the dative (like mér finnst or mér leiðist). This is such a common mistake that it has a name: þágufallssýki (dative sickness). Stick to the nominative and you will be grammatically correct!

Question 4

What are the parts that make up the word steypiregn?

Accepted Answer

It is a compound of the verb steypa (to pour or to cast, often used for concrete) and the noun regn (rain). So a steypiregn is literally a "pouring rain." You might already know rigning as the most common word for rain, but regn is very often used to build compound words like this one.

Barnið hlakkar ekki til steypiregnsins.

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