Breakdown of Rjómatertan fór fljúgandi yfir klaufann!
fara
to go
fljúga
to fly
yfir
past / over, across
klaufinn
the clumsy person
rjómatertan
the cream pie
Questions & Answers about Rjómatertan fór fljúgandi yfir klaufann!
Why do we use fór (from fara) instead of kom (from koma) with fljúgandi here?
In this manner of motion construction, fara (to go) implies motion away from the speaker or a general trajectory, just like "went flying" in English. If the pie had been thrown directly towards the speaker, you would use koma instead, as in Rjómatertan kom fljúgandi (The cream pie came flying).
Since Rjómatertan is a feminine noun, shouldn't fljúgandi change its ending to agree with it?
No, present participles ending in -andi (like fljúgandi) are indeclinable when used in this koma or fara construction. They stay exactly the same regardless of the gender or number of the noun they describe.
Why does the preposition yfir trigger the accusative case for klaufann here?
The preposition yfir takes the accusative case when it describes movement or a path across something, as happens here with the flying pie. If the pie were just hovering stationary above the klutz, yfir would instead take the dative case (yfir klaufanum).
How is the compound word Rjómatertan put together?
It combines the genitive (possessive) form of rjómi (cream), which is rjóma, with terta (tart, cake, or pie). Finally, the feminine definite article -n is added to the end, giving us Rjómatertan (the cream pie).
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