Breakdown of Ferðin tekur að minnsta kosti þrjá daga.
þrír
three
dagurinn
the day (m)
taka
to take
ferðin
the trip
að minnsta kosti
at least
Questions & Answers about Ferðin tekur að minnsta kosti þrjá daga.
What does the phrase að minnsta kosti literally mean?
It is a fixed idiom for "at least." Literally, it translates to "at the smallest option" or "at the smallest choice." The preposition að requires the dative case, which is why we see the dative forms minnsta (from the superlative adjective for smallest) and kosti (from kostur, meaning choice or option).
Is there a common abbreviation for að minnsta kosti?
Yes! Because it is such a common phrase, Icelanders frequently abbreviate it as a.m.k. in written text, similar to how we use abbreviations like "e.g." or "etc." in English.
Why are the words for "three days" (þrjá daga) in the accusative case?
The verb taka (to take) rules the accusative case when you are talking about something taking a certain amount of time. The noun dagur (day) becomes daga in the accusative plural, and the number must match its case.
Why is the number three written as þrjá here?
In Icelandic, the numbers 1 through 4 change their form to match the gender and case of the noun they describe. Because dagur is a masculine noun and is in the accusative case here, the number three must take the masculine accusative form, which is þrjá (from the nominative þrír).
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