Breakdown of Dómarinn álítur feldinn mjög fágaðan.
mjög
very
dómarinn
the judge
álíta
to consider
feldurinn
the coat (fur)
fágaður
refined
Questions & Answers about Dómarinn álítur feldinn mjög fágaðan.
Why is fágaðan in the accusative case here?
It describes the direct object feldinn (the coat), which is in the accusative case. In Icelandic, when an adjective describes the state or quality of a direct object, it must agree with that object in gender, number, and case. Because feldinn is masculine, singular, and accusative, the adjective fágaður becomes fágaðan.
Since feldinn is a definite noun (the coat), why is the adjective fágaðan in the strong declension instead of the weak?
Even though the noun feldinn is definite, the adjective is acting as a predicate rather than an attributive adjective. Predicative adjectives (adjectives that follow a verb to describe a noun, like 'is red' or 'considers [it] refined') always use the strong declension. If you wanted to say 'the refined coat' as a single noun phrase, you would use the weak declension: fágaði feldurinn.
How does the verb álíta differ from other verbs for 'to think' like halda or hugsa?
Álíta means 'to consider' or 'to regard as' and is used to express an assessment or formal opinion, making it perfect for a judge (dómarinn). Halda means 'to believe' or 'to think that something is true' and usually takes a subordinate clause, while hugsa refers to the literal mental act of thinking.
What kind of coat is a feldur?
Feldur specifically refers to a fur coat, a pelt, or the fur of an animal. If the sentence were about a standard cloth winter coat, you would more likely see frakkinn or kápan.
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