Questions & Answers about Þrífur þú glösin?
Why is the word for "the glasses" glösin instead of just glös?
glös means "glasses" (bare plural). Because we want to say "the glasses" in this sentence, we must add the definite ending. For neuter nouns like glas in the plural accusative, the definite ending is -in. So, glös plus -in gives us glösin.
Why does the vowel change from 'a' in the singular glas to 'ö' in glösin?
This is a very common vowel change in Icelandic where 'a' shifts to 'ö'. For many neuter nouns with an 'a' in the main syllable, the plural form automatically changes that 'a' to an 'ö'. So a single glass is glas, but multiple glasses are glös.
Since this lesson is about the accusative case, is glösin in the accusative here?
Yes! The verb þrífa (to clean) forces the object receiving the action into the accusative case. Luckily, neuter nouns like glas are very easy: their nominative (subject) and accusative (object) forms are exactly the same, both in the bare and definite forms.
Why does the sentence start with the verb Þrífur? Where are the words for "Are" or "Do"?
Icelandic does not use helper verbs like "do" or "are" to ask questions. Instead, you simply swap the verb and the pronoun. The statement "You are cleaning" is Þú þrífur. To ask a yes/no question, you just flip them to Þrífur þú? (literally "Clean you?").
Learn Þrífur þú glösin 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