Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Hún þrífur glös.
Why is the word for glasses glös here? What case is it?
Glös is in the accusative plural because it is the direct object of the verb þrífa (to clean). For neuter nouns like glas, the accusative plural looks exactly the same as the nominative plural.
The singular is glas. Where does the "ö" come from in glös?
How would I change this sentence to say "She is cleaning the glasses"?
You would add the definite plural ending -in to make it Hún þrífur glösin. Because this sentence just says "glasses" in general (a bare, indefinite noun), we leave off the ending and just use glös.
The translation says "is cleaning", but isn't þrífur just the regular present tense?
Yes! Icelandic doesn't have a separate "is doing" tense like English does. Hún þrífur can mean "She cleans" (as a habit) or "She is cleaning" (right now), depending on the context.