Breakdown of Feimnin hjá hvolpinum er sæt.
vera
to be
hjá
next to / at (someone's) place, with
sætur
sweet
hvolpurinn
the puppy
feimnin
the shyness
Questions & Answers about Feimnin hjá hvolpinum er sæt.
How is the abstract noun feimni derived in this sentence?
It is built from the adjective feiminn (shy). By dropping the adjective's ending and adding the suffix -ni, we get the abstract noun feimni (shyness). Nouns formed with this specific suffix are always feminine, which is why it takes the feminine definite article to become feimnin.
The lesson mentions a neuter -i suffix. Since feimni ends in -i, is it neuter?
No, while some abstract nouns are neuter and end in -i (like mikilvægi), the word feimni is formed with the -ni suffix, making it strictly feminine. You can tell it is feminine in this sentence because the adjective describing it is sæt (the feminine form), rather than the masculine sætur or neuter sætt.
Why does the sentence use hjá hvolpinum instead of the genitive hvolpsins to show whose shyness it is?
Using the preposition hjá (with/at) followed by the dative case is a very common, everyday way to talk about a feeling, condition, or personality trait belonging to a person or animal. While the genitive feimni hvolpsins is grammatically correct, feimnin hjá hvolpinum sounds more conversational and natural.
How would the word feimnin decline if it were the object of a verb instead of the subject?
The core noun feimni actually does not change its spelling in the singular; it is indeclinable across nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive cases. Only the attached definite article changes. If it were the accusative object, it would be feimnina, and in the dative or genitive, it would become feimninni.
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