Breakdown of Varnarmaðurinn, Páll, var jafn þreyttur og Einar í leikhléinu.
vera
to be
og
and
þreyttur
tired
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
Páll
Páll
Einar
Einar
jafn
as, equally (jafn ... og)
varnarmaðurinn
the defender
leikhléið
the half-time
Questions & Answers about Varnarmaðurinn, Páll, var jafn þreyttur og Einar í leikhléinu.
The noun varnarmaðurinn has the definite article attached. Why doesn't the name Páll need any article or marker to match it?
Proper names like Páll are inherently definite in Icelandic, so they don't need an article to match the definiteness of the noun they are paired with. It is standard to pair a definite noun with a bare proper name in apposition.
Does Páll have to be in the same case as varnarmaðurinn?
Yes! When a name is used in apposition (placed right next to a noun to specify who it is), it must agree in case with that noun. Since varnarmaðurinn is the subject and in the nominative case, Páll must also be in the nominative.
How does the phrase jafn þreyttur og work, and does the adjective change depending on who is tired?
The structure jafn [adjective] og means as [adjective] as. The adjective must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it describes. Since it describes Páll (a masculine singular subject), the adjective is the masculine nominative þreyttur. If we were talking about a female player, it would be jafn þreytt og.
Why is the second name, Einar, in the nominative case here?
In comparisons using og (as), the noun that follows takes the case it would have if the sentence were written out fully. The implied full clause is as tired as Einar was (og Einar var). Since Einar is the subject of that implied verb, it stays in the nominative.
Why is leikhléinu in the dative case after the preposition í?
While the preposition í can take either the accusative (usually for motion) or dative (usually for location), when it is used to indicate a point in time or a specific event period like a half-time break (leikhlé), it almost always governs the dative case.
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