Breakdown of Ástkæri söngvari, ég var að hlusta á tónlistina þína.
vera
to be
ég
I
hlusta
to listen
tónlistin
the music
að
to (infinitive marker)
þinn
your (m, f, n: þinn, þín, þitt)
söngvarinn
the singer
á
to/at (with verbs of perception: hlusta á, horfa á)
ástkær
beloved
Questions & Answers about Ástkæri söngvari, ég var að hlusta á tónlistina þína.
Why do we use the weak adjective form ástkæri here instead of the strong form ástkær?
When you address someone directly, which is known as the vocative function, Icelandic requires the weak form of the adjective. Even though there is no definite article or pronoun preceding it, direct address acts like a definite context. If you were just describing a singer in a regular sentence, you would use the strong form ástkær söngvari.
What case is Ástkæri söngvari in, since it is being used to call out to someone?
It is in the nominative case. Icelandic does not have a separate vocative case for addressing people, so it just uses the nominative. The special direct-address feeling comes entirely from using the weak form of the adjective while leaving the definite article off the noun.
Why does söngvari lack the attached definite article here?
When directly addressing someone, you do not use the definite article on the noun. You say ástkæri söngvari, not ástkæri söngvarinn, because you are talking directly to them rather than talking about a specific third party.
As a quick refresher, why is tónlistina þína in the accusative case here?
The verb phrase hlusta á always forces its object into the accusative case. Therefore, both the noun with its attached article (tónlistina) and the following possessive pronoun (þína) take the feminine accusative singular form.
Why is the definite article attached to tónlist when the possessive þína is already there?
In standard modern Icelandic, when a possessive pronoun follows a noun, the noun almost always takes the attached definite article. So you say tónlistina þína rather than just tónlist þína, which would sound unusually formal or poetic.
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