Questions & Answers about Kötturinn borðar alltaf úti.
Why does the verb borðar end in -ar?
Borða (to eat) is a Group 1 weak verb. In the present tense, these verbs end in -ar for all singular subjects (I, you, he/she/it). Since kötturinn (the cat) is a "he/she/it", we use borðar.
If there were multiple cats, how would the verb borðar change?
What does the -inn at the end of Kötturinn do?
In Icelandic, the word for "the" is attached to the end of the noun instead of coming before it. Köttur means "a cat", and adding the masculine ending -inn makes it Kötturinn (the cat).
Why does the sentence use úti for "outside" instead of út?
Icelandic has different words for locations depending on whether there is movement. You use úti when someone or something is already outside and staying there (stationary), like the cat eating here. You would use út to describe motion, like going or running outside.
Why does alltaf come after the verb instead of before it?
Icelandic strongly follows the "V2 rule", meaning the verb is almost always the second piece of information in a standard sentence. Because of this, short adverbs like alltaf (always) usually come immediately after the verb. While English says "always eats", Icelandic says "eats always" (borðar alltaf).
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