Breakdown of En á morgnana er morgunhaninn venjulega hress.
vera
to be
en
but
venjulega
usually
á morgnana
in the mornings
morgunhaninn
the early bird
hress
lively (of people)
Questions & Answers about En á morgnana er morgunhaninn venjulega hress.
Why do we use á morgnana here instead of í morgun?
Because the action is habitual. As covered in this lesson, we use á + accusative for future or recurring parts of the day. Since the sentence talks about what is venjulega (usually) true, we use the plural accusative á morgnana (in the mornings). If we meant the past morning (this morning), we would use í morgun.
What is the literal translation of morgunhaninn?
It literally means 'the morning rooster' (morgun + hani + the definite article -nn). Icelandic uses this exact compound the same way English uses 'early bird' to describe someone who wakes up early and is active.
Why is the verb er placed before the subject morgunhaninn?
This is a classic example of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The conjunction En (but) does not count as a structural position. The first real slot in the clause is taken by the time phrase á morgnana. To keep the verb in the second position, er must come immediately after it, pushing the subject to the third position.
Why is the plural accusative form morgnana rather than morgunana?
The noun morgunn undergoes a vowel deletion (syncopation) in its plural forms. The second -u- drops out when plural endings are added, making the plural stem morgn-. Adding the accusative plural ending and the definite article gives us morgnana.
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