Breakdown of Einhver syngur falskt í áheyrnarprufunni.
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
syngja
to sing
einhver
someone / some / any (before a noun)
áheyrnarprufan
the audition
falskur
out of tune
Questions & Answers about Einhver syngur falskt í áheyrnarprufunni.
Why does the word for 'out of tune' end in -t (falskt)?
This is how you form an adverb of manner in Icelandic! You take the strong neuter singular form of an adjective, which usually ends in -t. Here, the adjective falskur is turned into the adverb falskt to describe how the person is singing.
Doesn't falskur normally mean 'fake' or 'false'?
Yes, but in the context of music and singing, falskur is the standard word for 'out of tune' or 'off-key'. By using it as an adverb (falskt), you are literally saying the person is singing 'falsely'.
Why is the word for 'audition' (áheyrnarprufunni) so long, and what case is it in?
It is a compound noun made of áheyrn (a hearing) and prufa (a test). Here it is in the dative case because the preposition í takes the dative when describing a stationary location. The -nni at the end is the feminine dative singular definite article, making it 'in the audition'.
Is the pronoun einhver always masculine singular here?
Yes, when einhver means 'someone' in a general sense and the exact person is unknown, it defaults to the masculine singular form. This is why it pairs with the third person singular verb syngur.
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