Breakdown of „Ég vil ekki deila,“ svaraði þrjóski krakkinn og reyndi að klípa mig.
og
and
ég
I
ekki
not
mig
me (acc)
að
to (infinitive marker)
vilja
to want (to will, be willing)
svara
to answer
krakkinn
the kid
reyna
to try (attempt)
deila
to share
þrjóskur
stubborn
klípa
to pinch
Questions & Answers about „Ég vil ekki deila,“ svaraði þrjóski krakkinn og reyndi að klípa mig.
Why is the word order svaraði þrjóski krakkinn (answered the stubborn kid) instead of þrjóski krakkinn svaraði?
This is due to the V2 (verb-second) rule, which applies even when a direct quote starts a sentence. The entire quote „Ég vil ekki deila“ acts as the first element of the sentence. Therefore, the reporting verb (svaraði) must take the second slot, forcing the subject (þrjóski krakkinn) into the third position.
Why is the adjective þrjóski (stubborn) in its weak form here, rather than the strong form þrjóskur?
Because it modifies a noun that has the definite article attached to it (krakkinn, meaning the kid). Whenever an adjective modifies a definite noun, it must use the weak declension. For a masculine nominative noun, the weak ending is -i, making it þrjóski.
Does the verb klípa (to pinch) always take the accusative case, as seen with mig?
Yes, klípa governs the accusative case for the person or thing being pinched. Direct, concrete physical actions performed on a target very frequently take the accusative in Icelandic, which is why we see mig rather than the dative mér.
Why is reyndi (tried) in the past tense when the quote is in the present tense?
Reyndi belongs to the narrative part of the sentence outside the quote. It shares a subject with the reporting verb svaraði (answered). Because the act of answering happened in the past, both svaraði and reyndi must be in the past tense, joined by the conjunction og.
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