Breakdown of Hún er með þriggja ára háskólagráðu.
vera
to be
hún
she
þrír
three
með
with
árið
the year
háskólagráðan
the university degree
Questions & Answers about Hún er með þriggja ára háskólagráðu.
Why are þriggja and ára in the genitive case?
In Icelandic, when you describe the duration, age, or size of a noun, you use a genitive measure phrase. Here, the phrase þriggja ára acts like an adjective to describe the háskólagráðu.
How does the number three change in this sentence?
Numbers from one to four change their endings based on case and gender. Because ára is the genitive plural of ár, the number three must also be in the genitive. The genitive form of three is þriggja for all genders.
Why is háskólagráðu in the accusative case?
The preposition með forces the noun that follows it into the accusative case when it means having or possessing something. The dictionary form is háskólagráða, which becomes háskólagráðu in the accusative.
Why use er með instead of the verb hefur to mean she has?
While hún hefur is grammatically correct, Icelandic frequently uses the phrase vera með to express having or possessing something. This is very common for physical objects, traits, and qualifications like a degree.
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