Questions & Answers about Stelpan talar mjög vel.
Why is the word for 'the girl' written as Stelpan instead of two separate words?
Icelandic attaches the word for 'the' (the definite article) to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word. The base word is stelpa (a girl). Since it ends in a vowel, we just add -n to get stelpan (the girl).
The dictionary form of the verb is tala (to speak). Why does it end in -ar here?
tala is a Group 1 weak verb, which means its singular present tense forms often end in -ar. Because the subject is a third-person singular noun (stelpan, which acts like 'she'), it requires this ending. Since tala already ends in an -a, we just add -r to make talar (speaks).
Would the verb still be talar if the sentence started with ég (I)?
No. For Group 1 weak verbs, the 'I' form (first-person singular) doesn't take the -r ending. It simply uses the base word, so you would say ég tala (I speak).
Is the word order for mjög vel (very well) exactly the same as in English?
Yes! In simple sentences, adverbs that describe how an action is done follow the verb in the exact same order as English. mjög (very) comes right before vel (well).
Learn Stelpan talar mjög vel and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free