Breakdown of Fjórir fimmtu af heimatilbúna glerhreinsinum eru bara vatn.
vera
to be
bara
just / only
vatnið
the water
fjórir
four
fimmti
fifth
af
of (in quantity expressions)
heimatilbúinn
homemade
glerhreinsirinn
the glass cleaner
Questions & Answers about Fjórir fimmtu af heimatilbúna glerhreinsinum eru bara vatn.
How exactly does the fraction fjórir fimmtu work grammatically?
In Icelandic, complex fractions are formed by implying the masculine word hlutar (parts). The numerator fjórir is the cardinal number 'four' in the masculine plural. The denominator fimmtu is the weak plural form of the ordinal number fimmti (fifth). You are literally saying 'four fifth (parts)'.
Why does the sentence use the plural verb eru when discussing the glass cleaner?
Why do we use the form heimatilbúna instead of the dictionary form heimatilbúinn?
The adjective modifies glerhreinsinum, which has the definite article suffix attached. A definite noun forces any descriptive adjectives into the weak declension. For a masculine, dative, singular adjective, the weak ending is -a.
What dictates the case of the phrase heimatilbúna glerhreinsinum?
The entire phrase is in the dative case because it directly follows the preposition af (of), which strictly governs the dative. Both the noun and its modifying adjective must decline to match.
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