Breakdown of Afgreiðslukonan fann réttu stærðina.
finna
to find
stærðin
the size (f)
réttur
correct
afgreiðslukonan
the shop assistant (woman)
Questions & Answers about Afgreiðslukonan fann réttu stærðina.
Why does the adjective réttu end in a '-u' here?
Because the noun it describes, stærðina (the size), has the definite article attached to it. When a noun is definite, the adjective before it must be in the weak form. For a feminine accusative noun, the weak form of réttur (right or correct) is réttu.
How is the word afgreiðslukonan built?
It is a compound noun made of two parts: afgreiðslu (the genitive case of afgreiðsla, meaning service or counter) and konan (the woman). Literally, it means the service woman, which is the standard word for a female shop assistant.
Why is the noun stærðina in the accusative case?
It is the direct object of the verb finna (to find). In Icelandic, the thing being found takes the accusative case. Since stærð (size) is a feminine word, adding the accusative definite article makes it stærðina.
What is the dictionary form of the verb fann?
Fann is the past tense of finna (to find). Just like in English with find and found, it is a strong verb that changes its core vowel in the past tense instead of adding a regular past tense ending.