Questions & Answers about Ég spyr þær ekki.
Why do we use þær for "them" in this sentence?
þær is the accusative (object) form of "they" used specifically for a group of all females, or a group of grammatically feminine nouns. We use the accusative case here because the verb spyrja (to ask) requires it for the person being asked.
Could þær also mean "they" as the subject of a sentence?
Yes! For the feminine plural pronoun, the nominative (subject) and accusative (object) forms are exactly the same: þær. You know it is the object here because Ég (I) is already the subject.
Is þær the only word for "them"?
No, Icelandic has three words for "them" in the accusative case depending on gender: þá for males, þær for females, and þau for mixed groups or neuter nouns.
Why does ekki (not) come at the very end instead of after the verb?
In Icelandic, when the object of a sentence is a short pronoun like þær, the word ekki usually goes after it. If you were asking a regular noun instead, like "the girls" (stelpurnar), ekki would come before the object: Ég spyr ekki stelpurnar.
What is the dictionary form of the verb spyr?
The infinitive (dictionary form) is spyrja (to ask). Notice how the "j" drops out in the "I" form (ég spyr). This is a common pattern for Icelandic verbs that end in "-ja".
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