Breakdown of Við fengum tveggja vikna uppsagnarfrest þegar vinnuvikan byrjaði.
við
we
tveir
two
byrja
to start
vikan
the week (f)
fá
to get
þegar
when
uppsagnarfresturinn
the notice period
vinnuvikan
the workweek
Questions & Answers about Við fengum tveggja vikna uppsagnarfrest þegar vinnuvikan byrjaði.
Why do we use tveggja vikna (two weeks) in the genitive case here?
In Icelandic, when you use a measurement like time, age, or distance to describe a noun, the words making up that measurement take the genitive case. Because it describes the noun uppsagnarfrest (notice period), "two weeks" becomes the genitive phrase tveggja vikna (literally "a notice period of two weeks").
Is tveggja the genitive form of the number two?
Does the genitive phrase tveggja vikna dictate the case of the main noun uppsagnarfrest?
No, it doesn't. Uppsagnarfrest is in the accusative case simply because it is the direct object of the verb fengum (we got). A genitive measure phrase just modifies the noun it sits next to without forcing that main noun into a different case.
How is the compound word uppsagnarfrest built?
It is made from uppsögn (termination/notice) and frestur (deadline/period). When combining them, the first word takes its genitive singular form (uppsagnar) and attaches to the second word. Here, we see it as uppsagnarfrest without the dictionary-form -ur ending because it is in the accusative case.
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