Breakdown of Ég sá fiskinn synda eina sjómílu um kóralrifið.
ég
I
einn
one
sjá
to see
fiskurinn
the fish
um
around
synda
to swim
sjómílan
the nautical mile
kóralrifið
the coral reef
Questions & Answers about Ég sá fiskinn synda eina sjómílu um kóralrifið.
Why is eina sjómílu in the accusative case here when there is no preposition?
This is the Accusative of Extent. In Icelandic, you can use a noun phrase directly in the accusative case without a preposition to express physical distance or duration. Because the fish swam for the distance of one nautical mile, the feminine noun sjómíla and the number ein are put into the accusative case, becoming eina sjómílu.
Why is fiskinn in the accusative case, and why is the verb synda in the infinitive?
This uses an Accusative with Infinitive construction, which is very common with verbs of perception like sjá (to see) and heyra (to hear). The object being observed takes the accusative case (fiskinn), and the action it is doing is left in the infinitive (synda). This mirrors the English structure perfectly: I saw the fish swim.
What gender is sjómíla (nautical mile) and how can we tell from this sentence?
It is a feminine noun. We know this because the number one must agree with the noun it modifies in gender and case. The accusative feminine form of ein is eina, which perfectly matches the accusative feminine ending -u seen in sjómílu.
Why does the preposition um take the accusative case for kóralrifið?
When um is used to mean around, about, across, or through a physical space, it always takes the accusative case. Because kóralrif is a neuter noun, its definite accusative form kóralrifið happens to look exactly identical to its nominative dictionary form.
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