Breakdown of Mynstrið á myntinni er nýfægt.
vera
to be
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
myntin
the coin
mynstrið
the pattern
nýfægður
newly polished
Questions & Answers about Mynstrið á myntinni er nýfægt.
How is nýfægt formed, and why does it end in -t here?
It is built by adding the prefix ný- (newly) to fægt, the past participle of the verb fægja (to polish). Because it acts as an adjective describing the neuter noun mynstrið, it takes the neuter nominative singular ending -t.
Why does the word for pattern (mynstrið) lose the u from its dictionary form mynstur?
This is a common vowel dropping rule. In neuter words ending in -ur, the unstressed u drops out when a suffix starting with a vowel is added. So, mynstur plus the definite article -ið becomes mynstrið rather than an ungrammatical mynsturið.
Why is myntinni (the coin) in the dative case?
The preposition á takes the dative case when it indicates a fixed position or location. Because the pattern is statically located on the coin, á forces mynt into the dative. If the sentence described movement onto the coin, it would take the accusative instead.
What is the base form of myntinni, and how is its definite article attached?
The base form is mynt (coin or currency), which is a feminine noun. In the dative singular, the definite article suffix for feminine nouns is -inni, which simply attaches to the base word to form myntinni.
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