Breakdown of Við finnum frjókornið í vaxkökunni.
við
we
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
finna
to find
frjókornið
the pollen
vaxkakan
the honeycomb
Questions & Answers about Við finnum frjókornið í vaxkökunni.
Since the current lesson is about the explanatory particle nefnilega, where would we place it in this sentence?
In a standard main clause like this one, nefnilega (meaning 'you see' or 'the thing is') is placed directly after the finite verb. If you wanted to say 'You see, we find the pollen in the honeycomb', you would write Við finnum nefnilega frjókornið í vaxkökunni.
Why does the preposition í take the dative case (vaxkökunni) here instead of the accusative?
The preposition í is a two-way preposition. It governs the dative case when it describes a stationary location (where something is currently situated) and the accusative case when it describes movement towards a destination. Since the pollen is already resting inside the honeycomb, we use the dative.
Is the direct object frjókornið in the nominative case here?
No, it is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb finna. However, because frjókorn (pollen) is a neuter noun, its accusative form is exactly identical to its nominative form. The -ið at the end is the neuter definite article.
What are the root words that make up vaxkökunni?
It is a compound of vax (wax) and kaka (cake). The literal Icelandic term for honeycomb is 'wax-cake'. The ending -nni is the feminine dative singular definite article. Adding this dative ending also triggers a U-shift, which changes the first 'a' in kaka to an 'ö', giving us the stem köku-.
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