Breakdown of Hún þolir kulda betur en ég.
ég
I
hún
she
en
than
betur
better (adverb)
kuldinn
the cold
þola
to endure, to stand
Questions & Answers about Hún þolir kulda betur en ég.
Why is the word for 'cold' spelled kulda here instead of kuldi?
The verb þola (to endure or tolerate) requires its object to be in the accusative case. The word for cold is kuldi, which is a weak masculine noun, so its ending changes from -i to -a in the accusative case.
Why do we use betur for 'better' instead of betri?
Here, 'better' describes how she endures, so it acts as an adverb. Betur is the comparative adverb form of vel (well). If you were describing a noun (like 'a better car'), you would use the adjective form betri.
After en (than), why is the pronoun ég in the nominative case instead of the accusative mig?
The word en functions as a conjunction linking two subjects doing the same action. You can think of the sentence as having an invisible second verb: 'Hún þolir kulda betur en ég [þoli]' (She endures cold better than I [endure]). Since ég is the subject of that implied verb, it stays in the nominative case.
Can I use þola to talk about putting up with annoying people, or is it just for physical things?
You can absolutely use it for people and situations! Just like 'tolerate' or 'stand' in English, þola is very common in emotional contexts. For example, ég þoli þetta ekki means 'I can't stand this.'
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