Breakdown of En hvað þú biður jólasveininn mikillar velmegunar!
þú
you
en
but
mikill
great, much (adjective: snjórinn er mikill)
biðja
to ask for (biðja um)
hvað
how (+ adjective, degree)
jólasveinninn
the Santa Claus
velmegunin
the prosperity (material)
Questions & Answers about En hvað þú biður jólasveininn mikillar velmegunar!
Why are jólasveininn and mikillar velmegunar in different cases here?
This is because the verb biðja (to ask) takes two objects using a specific case pattern: accusative for the person being asked, and genitive for the thing being asked for. So, jólasveininn (Santa Claus) is in the accusative, while mikillar velmegunar (much prosperity) is in the genitive.
Does the phrase En hvað affect the word order of the sentence?
Yes. En hvað (meaning "Oh, how...!" or "How...!") is used to form an exclamation. In these types of exclamatory sentences, Icelandic keeps the standard subject-verb word order, which is why the subject þú comes immediately before the verb biður instead of inverting.
How do we know to use the form mikillar for "much"?
Mikillar is the feminine singular genitive form of the adjective mikill. It has to match the noun it describes, velmegun (prosperity), which is a feminine noun. Because the verb biðja forces the thing you ask for into the genitive case, both the noun and its adjective take the genitive endings.
I know jól means Christmas, but what exactly does jólasveininn literally translate to?
It literally means "the Yule lad". It combines jól (Yule/Christmas), sveinn (boy/lad), and the attached definite article -inn (the). Iceland traditionally has thirteen Yule Lads instead of a single Santa, but the term is now also used to translate the international Santa Claus.
Learn En hvað þú biður jólasveininn mikillar velmegunar and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free