Question 1

How do we get the verbs dýpkar and grynnkar from the adjectives for "deep" and "shallow"?

Accepted Answer

These verbs are formed using the -ka suffix, which turns an adjective into a verb. Dýpka comes from djúpur (deep), and grynnka comes from grunnur (shallow). When creating verbs this way, the root vowel almost always changes: jú becomes ý, and u becomes y.

Question 2

In this sentence, do these verbs mean the subjects are changing themselves, or changing something else?

Accepted Answer

Here, they mean the subjects are changing their own state: the shape becomes deeper, and the bowl becomes shallower. Verbs ending in -ka can often be both inchoative (meaning a change of state on its own, like "gets shallower") and causative (making something else change, like "I make it shallower"). Because there is no direct object in this sentence, we know it is the inchoative meaning.

Question 3

Why do the vowels change to ý and y when the -ka suffix is added?

Accepted Answer

This happens because of a vowel shift called an i-shift (i-hljóðvarp). Historically, adding this suffix caused the vowel in the root word to shift. The letter u regularly shifts to y (like grunnur to grynnkar), and jú shifts to ý (like djúpur to dýpkar). You will see this specific pattern frequently when deriving new words in Icelandic.

Question 4

As a quick refresher, why do the nouns take the definite endings -ið and -in here?

Accepted Answer

This is a reminder of how noun genders affect the definite article (the "the" ending). Form is a neuter noun, so its nominative definite ending is -ið (formið). Skál is a feminine noun, so its nominative definite ending is -in (skálin).

Formið dýpkar, en skálin grynnkar.

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