Breakdown of Óskalistinn minn er skrýtinn af því að ég bið jólasveininn frægðar.
vera
to be
ég
I
minn
my (m, f, n: minn, mín, mitt)
af því að
because
skrýtinn
strange
biðja
to ask for (biðja um)
óskalistinn
the wish list
jólasveinninn
the Santa Claus
frægðin
the fame
Questions & Answers about Óskalistinn minn er skrýtinn af því að ég bið jólasveininn frægðar.
Why do we use jólasveininn (accusative) and frægðar (genitive) with the verb bið?
The verb biðja (to ask/request) uses a specific case pattern when you ask someone for something. The person you ask goes into the accusative case (jólasveininn), and the thing you are asking for goes into the genitive case (frægðar). Notice how Icelandic doesn't use a preposition like the English word "for" here!
How do we get the form frægðar from the base word for fame?
Is bið the regular present tense of biðja? Why does it lose the j?
Bið is the first-person singular present tense of the strong verb biðja. In the singular present tense forms (I, you, he/she/it), the j drops out entirely (ég bið, þú biður, hann biður). The j only reappears in the plural forms like við biðjum.
Why is the adjective skrýtinn used here instead of the default form skrýtið?
Adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe. Óskalisti (wish list) is a masculine noun. Since it is the subject of the sentence (in the nominative case), the adjective takes the masculine nominative singular form skrýtinn. Skrýtið would be the neuter form.
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