Breakdown of Einn dansar kraftmikið en annar slær trommuna.
en
but
einn
one
dansa
to dance
annar
other, another; second
slá
to beat
tromman
the drum
kraftmikill
powerful
Questions & Answers about Einn dansar kraftmikið en annar slær trommuna.
How do we know kraftmikið is an adverb here and not an adjective?
Since it describes the action of the verb dansar (how they dance), it is acting as an adverb of manner. As covered in this lesson, you can turn many Icelandic adjectives into adverbs by taking their neuter singular form. The base adjective is kraftmikill (powerful), and its neuter form is kraftmikið.
Why are einn and annar in the masculine form if we don't know who is dancing?
Why does the verb slær look so different from its infinitive?
The infinitive of this verb is slá (to hit or strike). It undergoes a vowel shift in the present tense singular, where the vowel á changes to æ. This gives us slær for the third-person 'he/she/it' form.
Why does the word for drum end in -na in this sentence?
The verb slá forces the object being hit into the accusative case. The accusative form of the feminine noun tromma (a drum) is trommu. Because the sentence specifies 'the drum' rather than just 'a drum', we attach the accusative feminine definite suffix -na, resulting in trommuna.
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