Breakdown of Allar skikkjurnar eru rauðar nema þín.
vera
to be
þinn
your (m, f, n: þinn, þín, þitt)
rauður
red
allur
all / everything / everyone
nema
except, unless
skikkjan
the cloak
Questions & Answers about Allar skikkjurnar eru rauðar nema þín.
Why is þín in the nominative case after nema?
When nema is used to mean 'except', the word following it takes the exact same case as the noun phrase it is being excluded from (the antecedent). Because it is an exception to the subject Allar skikkjurnar (which is nominative), þín must also be nominative.
Since skikkjurnar is plural, why is þín in the singular form?
Why do we use the strong adjective declension rauðar here when skikkjurnar is definite?
Even though skikkjurnar has the definite article attached, rauðar is functioning as a predicate adjective (coming after the verb eru to describe the subject). Predicate adjectives always take the strong declension in Icelandic.
How would this sentence change if the cloaks were the object of the sentence instead of the subject?
Because the exception must always case-match the antecedent, changing the role of the cloaks changes the case of the exception. If you said 'I see all the cloaks except yours', both parts would take the accusative case: 'Ég sé allar skikkjurnar nema þína'.
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