Learn Icelandic: Kaldur líkami stífnar mikið í snjónum. - A cold body stiffens a lot in the snow.

Kaldur líkami stífnar mikið í snjónum.

A cold body stiffens a lot in the snow.

Breakdown of Kaldur líkami stífnar mikið í snjónum.

mikið

a lot

in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)

Questions & Answers about Kaldur líkami stífnar mikið í snjónum.

How is the verb stífnar formed from an adjective?

Stífnar is the third-person singular of stífna. This verb is built from the adjective stífur (stiff) by dropping the masculine ending and adding the suffix -na. This suffix is used to create verbs that mean "to become [adjective]". Therefore, stífna literally means "to become stiff".

Are there any stem vowel changes when conjugating -na verbs like stífna?

No, verbs derived with the -na suffix are highly regular weak verbs. In the present tense singular, they take -a, -ar, -ar endings without triggering any vowel shifts (like U-mutations or I-shifts) in the root. That is why it simply stays as stífnar for "stiffens".

Líkami is a masculine noun. Why doesn't it end in -ur?

Líkami (body) belongs to the category of "weak" masculine nouns. Instead of the typical strong ending -ur, weak masculine nouns end in -i in the nominative singular. As a quick refresher: these nouns change to end in -a in the accusative, dative, and genitive singular. Since it is the subject of this sentence, it stays in the nominative.

Why does the preposition í trigger the dative case for snjónum here instead of the accusative?