Question 1

How is the verb gulnaði formed, and what does the -na suffix do here?

Accepted Answer

The base verb is gulna, which is formed by taking the adjective gulur (yellow) and adding the -na suffix. This suffix creates inchoative verbs, which simply means verbs that describe a change of state or 'becoming' something. These -na verbs are always weak verbs that end in -aði in the past tense, giving us gulnaði (became yellow).

Question 2

Could I just use laufið or blaðið instead of the compound word laufblaðið?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but laufblaðið is the most precise. The word lauf often refers to foliage as a whole mass, though it can mean a single leaf. Blað means a single leaf, but it also means a sheet of paper or a knife blade. Combining them into laufblað guarantees you are talking about a single plant leaf.

Question 3

Why do we use mikið here instead of mjög to mean 'a lot'?

Accepted Answer

While both relate to the idea of 'very' or 'a lot', they modify different parts of speech. You use mjög to modify adjectives and other adverbs (for example, mjög gulur means 'very yellow'). However, to modify a verb and say that an action happened 'a lot', you use the neuter form of the adjective mikill, which is mikið.

Question 4

Does í haust mean autumn in general, or a specific autumn?

Accepted Answer

The phrase í haust means 'this autumn' (either the one coming up or the one that just passed). Because the verb gulnaði is in the past tense, it implies 'this past autumn'. If you wanted to say leaves yellow 'in the autumn' as a general, recurring rule, you would use the plural with a different preposition: á haustin.

Laufblaðið gulnaði mikið í haust.

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