Breakdown of Sjávarlíffræðingurinn rannsakar kolkrabbann oft.
oft
often
rannsaka
to investigate
sjávarlíffræðingurinn
the marine biologist
kolkrabbinn
the octopus
Questions & Answers about Sjávarlíffræðingurinn rannsakar kolkrabbann oft.
How can I break down the long word sjávarlíffræðingurinn?
It is a compound of three parts. Sjávar is the genitive (possessive) form of sjór (sea or ocean). Líf means life, and fræðingur means scholar or specialist. Together, líffræðingur is a biologist, making this a marine biologist. The -inn at the very end is the attached definite article meaning 'the'.
What is the literal meaning behind the word kolkrabbann?
The base dictionary word is kolkrabbi, which literally translates to 'coal-crab' from kol (coal) and krabbi (crab). Icelandic often creates highly descriptive compound names for non-native animals using familiar concepts.
Why does kolkrabbann end in -ann here rather than the standard -inn?
The verb rannsaka (to research) requires its object to be in the accusative case. Because krabbi is a weak masculine noun, its accusative form is krabba. When you attach the masculine accusative definite article -inn to krabba, the two vowels merge to form krabbann.
How can I apply the current lesson's topic and turn this sentence into a Það að (The fact that...) clause?
You simply place Það að in front of the sentence to turn the whole thing into a noun phrase. For example, to say 'The fact that the marine biologist researches the octopus often is important,' you would say: Það að sjávarlíffræðingurinn rannsakar kolkrabbann oft er mikilvægt.
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