Breakdown of Við óskum brúðhjónunum mikillar gæfu og farsældar.
og
and
við
we
mikill
great, much (adjective: snjórinn er mikill)
gæfan
the good luck
óska
to wish, to request (óska eftir)
brúðhjónin
the bridal couple
farsældin
the prosperity
Questions & Answers about Við óskum brúðhjónunum mikillar gæfu og farsældar.
Why are brúðhjónunum and gæfu og farsældar in different cases here?
The verb óska (to wish) is ditransitive here, meaning it takes two objects. It requires the recipient (the people receiving the wish) to be in the dative case, which gives us brúðhjónunum. The thing being wished must be in the genitive case, resulting in the genitive phrase mikillar gæfu og farsældar.
The English translation says 'the bridal couple' which is singular. Why does brúðhjónunum have a plural ending?
In Icelandic, the word for a married couple, hjón, is always a neuter plural noun. Because of this, the compound word brúðhjón (bridal couple) is also grammatically plural. The -unum ending is the standard dative plural definite suffix attached to the root.
Both gæfu and farsældar are in the genitive case. Why do their endings look so different?
They belong to different noun declensions. Gæfa (luck) is a weak feminine noun, so its accusative, dative, and genitive forms all end in -u (gæfu). Farsæld (prosperity) is a strong feminine noun, which takes the distinct -ar ending in the genitive singular to become farsældar.
Does the adjective mikillar apply to both nouns, and why does it take this specific form?
Yes, mikillar modifies both gæfu and farsældar. It must agree in gender, number, and case with the nouns it modifies. Since both nouns are feminine, singular, and in the genitive case (dictated by the verb óska), the base adjective mikill takes the feminine singular genitive ending to become mikillar.
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