Breakdown of Grænar baunir eru góðar með fiski.
vera
to be
góður
good
fiskurinn
the fish
með
with
grænn
green
baunin
the bean
Questions & Answers about Grænar baunir eru góðar með fiski.
Why do both adjectives grænar and góðar end in -ar here?
They are both describing the noun baunir (beans), which is a feminine plural noun in the nominative case. In Icelandic, all adjectives modifying a noun, including predicate adjectives like góðar that come after the verb, must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case. The feminine nominative plural ending for strong adjectives is -ar.
Why is the word for fish fiski instead of the dictionary form fiskur?
The preposition með forces the following noun into a specific case. When með means together with or accompanying, as in serving one food with another, it requires the dative case. Fiskur is a strong masculine noun, and its dative singular form drops the -ur ending and adds an -i, becoming fiski.
I learned that með can also take the accusative case. Why is it dative here?
That is a great catch! The preposition með takes the accusative case when it implies carrying, holding, or bringing something. However, when it means being accompanied by something, using a tool, or eating foods together, it takes the dative case. Since the beans are accompanying the fish on a plate, dative is used.
Why is there no definite article on Grænar baunir or fiski?
Just like in English, Icelandic uses bare nouns without the definite article when making general statements about an entire category of things. If you were talking about specific beans and a specific fish on your plate right now, you would use the definite forms Grænu baunirnar and fiskinum.
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