Breakdown of Lögreglan handtók þjófinn þann nítjánda september.
lögreglan
the police
september
September
sá
that (demonstrative)
þjófurinn
the thief
handtaka
to arrest
nítjándi
nineteenth
Questions & Answers about Lögreglan handtók þjófinn þann nítjánda september.
Why do we use þann nítjánda to express "on the nineteenth"?
To say that something happened "on" a specific date, Icelandic uses a time phrase in the accusative case, without needing a preposition at all. We use the masculine accusative pronoun þann (literally "that") followed by the ordinal number. So, þann nítjánda september acts as an accusative time phrase meaning "on that nineteenth of September".
Why does the ordinal number end in -a (nítjánda) instead of its dictionary form nítjándi?
Because it follows the pronoun þann, the ordinal number must use its weak declension. Calendar dates are always masculine because they refer to the implied word dagur (day). The weak, masculine, accusative ending for ordinal numbers is -a, which turns nítjándi into nítjánda.
Is the verb handtók (arrested) a compound word, and how do I conjugate it?
Yes, handtaka literally means "to hand-take". Because it is a compound, it conjugates exactly like the strong verb taka (to take). Just as taka becomes tók in the past tense (take/took), handtaka becomes handtók.
Why is the word for "the thief" written as þjófinn instead of þjófurinn?
The verb handtaka forces the person being arrested into the accusative case. The dictionary form for "thief" is the masculine noun þjófur. In the accusative, it loses the -ur ending to become þjóf. When you attach the masculine accusative definite article (-inn), you get þjófinn.
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