Question 1

Why is fallegur engill in the nominative case here?

Accepted Answer

This highlights the main rule for sem when it means "as" (describing a role, function, or disguise): it forces case agreement. The phrase fallegur engill refers back to the subject of the sentence, Systir þín. Since the subject is in the nominative case, the noun phrase following sem must also be in the nominative.

Question 2

Since Systir is feminine, why is the adjective fallegur in the masculine form?

Accepted Answer

While sem makes the noun phrases agree in case (both are nominative here), it does not change a noun's inherent grammatical gender. The word engill is grammatically masculine. Therefore, any adjective directly modifying it must be masculine (fallegur), even though the person wearing the costume is female.

Question 3

What form of the word is klædd in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

It is the past participle of the verb klæða (to dress or clothe). Here, it functions as an adjective describing a state, much like in English ("is dressed"). Because it describes Systir (feminine, nominative, singular), the participle takes the matching feminine nominative singular form klædd.

Question 4

Why does the possessive pronoun þín come after Systir rather than before it?

Accepted Answer

In standard Icelandic word order, possessive pronouns like þín typically follow the noun they belong to. Placing it before the noun (as in þín systir) is grammatically possible but puts heavy emphasis on the pronoun, sounding more like "It is YOUR sister who is dressed as an angel" rather than a simple statement.

Systir þín er klædd sem fallegur engill.

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