Breakdown of Óviðjafnanlegi leikari, ég dýrka þig og snilldina þína.
og
and
ég
I
þú
you
þinn
your (m, f, n: þinn, þín, þitt)
leikarinn
the actor
óviðjafnanlegur
incomparable
dýrka
to adore
snilldin
the brilliance
Questions & Answers about Óviðjafnanlegi leikari, ég dýrka þig og snilldina þína.
Why use the weak adjective óviðjafnanlegi when there is no definite article or pronoun in front of it?
This is the special vocative rule you are learning! When you address someone directly, any adjective describing them takes the weak form, even without a definite word in front of it. That is why it is óviðjafnanlegi leikari instead of the strong form óviðjafnanlegur leikari.
Does Icelandic have a specific case for direct address, like the vocative?
Not for nouns. Nouns used in direct address, like leikari, just stay in the nominative case. The only thing that changes in direct address is the adjective, which is forced into the weak declension.
How does the long word óviðjafnanlegi break down?
It is built from ó- (un-), við (with/against), and the verb jafna (to equal), plus the suffix -anlegur (which acts like the English suffix '-able'). Literally, it means 'un-equal-able', or incomparable.
Why does the sentence say snilldina þína rather than just snilld þína?
This is a good refresher on Icelandic possessives. When a possessive pronoun like þína comes after the noun, the noun almost always takes the attached definite article. Since snilld (brilliance) is a feminine noun in the accusative case here, it takes the article -ina, giving us snilldina þína.
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