Breakdown of Hvaða matur er svo kryddaður að það svíður í munninn?
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
maturinn
the food
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
að
that (conjunction)
hvaða
which, what
munnurinn
the mouth
svo
so (to such a degree)
kryddaður
spicy
svíða
to sting
Questions & Answers about Hvaða matur er svo kryddaður að það svíður í munninn?
How is the 'so [adjective] that...' structure built in this sentence?
It uses the word svo (so) directly before the adjective kryddaður (spicy). Then, the conjunction að (that) connects it to the result clause: það svíður í munninn (it stings in the mouth).
Why does the adjective kryddaður end in -ur?
It has to agree with the subject of the sentence, matur (food). Since matur is a masculine noun in the nominative case, the adjective describing it takes the masculine nominative ending -ur.
What is the word það doing in the phrase það svíður?
It acts as a dummy subject, just like the 'it' in the English phrase 'it stings.' The verb svíða (to sting or burn) is often used impersonally like this to describe physical sensations without a specific doer.
Why is it í munninn (accusative) instead of í munninum (dative)? Doesn't í take the dative for location?
This is a very specific and tricky exception! Normally, í takes the dative case to describe a stationary location. However, with verbs describing pain or physical sensations in a body part (like svíða), Icelandic strangely uses the accusative case. That is why we see the accusative form munninn.
Would the question word hvaða change if we were asking about a feminine or plural noun?
No, hvaða (what/which) is invariable. Unlike most adjectives and pronouns in Icelandic, it never changes its ending, no matter the gender, number, or case of the noun that follows it.
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