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Questions & Answers about Strákurinn kaupir hanska.
Why is the word for gloves hanska here?
Hanska is the direct object of the verb kaupir (buys), so it needs to be in the accusative case. The dictionary form is hanski (a glove), which is a masculine noun. For this type of noun, the bare accusative plural (gloves) is hanska.
Wait, isn't hanska also the singular form for 'a glove' in the accusative case?
Yes, good catch! For masculine weak nouns (nouns ending in -i like hanski), the bare accusative singular and bare accusative plural forms are exactly the same. You have to rely on context. Since people usually buy gloves in pairs, we translate it as the plural 'gloves' here.
How would I change this to say 'The boy is buying the gloves'?
You would need the definite accusative plural form. To make it definite, you add the suffix -na to the plural stem, making it hanskana. The sentence would then be: Strákurinn kaupir hanskana.
Why doesn't strákurinn change its ending for the accusative case too?
Strákurinn (the boy) is the subject of the sentence because he is the one doing the buying. The subject always takes the nominative (basic) case. The -inn ending is just the masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'. Only the direct object (hanska) changes to the accusative case.