Breakdown of Við skoðuðum unga brumið og þykka stofninn klukkutímum saman.
og
and
ungur
young
saman
together / on end (after a dative plural time noun)
við
we
skoða
to look at
þykkur
thick
klukkutíminn
the hour
stofninn
the trunk (of a tree)
brumið
the bud (leaf)
Questions & Answers about Við skoðuðum unga brumið og þykka stofninn klukkutímum saman.
Why is klukkutímum in the dative case?
It is used with the adverb saman to mean 'for hours on end.' When expressing a continuous duration of time using saman, the time word must be in the dative case. This is closely related to the dative of temporal difference you are currently studying, as both use the dative to show the extent, duration, or measure of time.
Why do the adjectives unga and þykka end in -a?
They are in their weak declension forms. As a B2 learner, you know that whenever an adjective directly precedes a noun with an attached definite article, like brumið (the bud) and stofninn (the trunk), you must use the weak form of the adjective. For both masculine and neuter accusative singular, this weak ending is -a.
Both nouns are the direct object of skoðuðum, so they are in the accusative case. Why do their definite endings look different (brumið vs stofninn)?
This happens because they have different grammatical genders. Brum (bud) is a neuter noun, so its definite accusative ending is -ið. Stofn (trunk) is a masculine noun, so its definite accusative ending is -inn.
Does saman literally mean 'together' here?
Yes, the basic meaning of saman is 'together.' In Icelandic, saying 'hours together' (klukkutímum saman) is the natural idiom for doing something continuously or 'for hours on end.'
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