Learn Icelandic: Blaðamaðurinn vill segja sannleikann. - The journalist wants to tell the truth.

Modal-like verbs in Icelandic, such as vilja (to want), munu (will), and skulu (shall/should), connect directly to the main verb's infinitive without the particle að. If you used a verb like ætla (to intend), you would need it, as in ætlar að segja.

Let's break down the word blaðamaðurinn. Why does it use blaða- instead of just blað-?

Compound words in Icelandic often use the genitive (possessive) case for the first part to link the words. Blaða is the genitive plural of blað (paper or newspaper). So a blaðamaður is literally a man of papers. The -inn at the end is the masculine definite article.

Why does the definite article on sannleikann end in -ann instead of -inn?

The noun sannleikur (truth) is the direct object of the verb segja, which puts it in the accusative case. The accusative form of the word itself is sannleik. When you attach the masculine accusative definite article, it takes the form -ann, resulting in sannleikann.

The word for truth, sannleikur, seems to contain the word leikur (game). Is that just a coincidence?