Breakdown of Amma mín sefur núna.
núna
now
sofa
to sleep
minn
my (m, f, n: minn, mín, mitt)
amman
the grandmother
Questions & Answers about Amma mín sefur núna.
Why does this sentence use mín instead of minn?
In Icelandic, possessive pronouns must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because amma (grandmother) is a feminine noun, we use the feminine form mín. If we were talking about a masculine noun, like a grandfather or a brother, we would use the masculine form minn.
Why is the word order amma mín rather than mín amma?
Icelandic possessive pronouns normally go directly after the noun they belong to. So instead of saying 'my grandmother', the natural word order is 'grandmother my' (amma mín).
I have learned that Icelandic often attaches 'the' to the end of nouns. Why isn't it amman mín?
When talking about close family members, like a mother, father, or grandmother, Icelandic leaves the noun in its basic form before the possessive pronoun. So we just say amma mín without attaching the 'the' ending.
Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?
Icelandic does not use a two-word 'is doing' tense like English does. The single verb sefur translates to both 'sleeps' and 'is sleeping'. Adding the word núna (now) helps emphasize that the action is happening at this very moment.
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