Breakdown of Þessi forngripur er safngripur, en ég keypti ýmislegt.
vera
to be
ég
I
en
but
kaupa
to buy
þessi
this (m/f)
ýmislegt
various things
forngripurinn
the antique
safngripurinn
the collector's item
Questions & Answers about Þessi forngripur er safngripur, en ég keypti ýmislegt.
Why do we use ýmislegt here instead of ýmis?
Ýmislegt is the neuter singular form of the pronoun ýmis (various). When it stands alone without a noun, it acts as a substantive meaning "various things" or "all sorts of things". If it were attached to a noun, like "various items", you would match the noun's gender and case, such as ýmsa gripi.
What case is ýmislegt in this sentence, and why?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb keypti (bought). Handily, for the neuter singular form of this word, the accusative is exactly the same as the nominative: ýmislegt.
How are the words forngripur and safngripur constructed?
Both share the masculine noun gripur, which means an item, object, or artifact. Forn means ancient or antique, making forngripur an antique. Safn means a collection or museum, so safngripur translates to a collector's item or a museum piece.
Why does the sentence start with Þessi instead of Þetta?
Since forngripur ends in the masculine noun gripur, the whole compound noun is masculine. You must use the masculine singular form of "this", which is þessi. Þetta is only used for neuter nouns or completely unspecified objects.
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