Breakdown of Ég passa köttinn þinn og veskið þitt.
og
and
ég
I
kötturinn
the cat
þinn
your (m, f, n: þinn, þín, þitt)
Questions & Answers about Ég passa köttinn þinn og veskið þitt.
Why does the word for "your" change from þinn to þitt in the same sentence?
In Icelandic, possessive words like "your" have to match the gender of the noun they belong to. Both words are in the accusative case because they are being acted upon. Köttinn (the cat) is a masculine noun, so it uses the masculine accusative form þinn. Veskið (the wallet) is a neuter noun, so it uses the neuter accusative form þitt.
Why are there "the" endings on the nouns? Doesn't the sentence translate literally to "the cat your" and "the wallet your"?
Yes, it does! In Icelandic, when you put a possessive word like þinn (your) after a noun, the noun must have the definite article ("the") attached to it. So, "your cat" becomes köttinn þinn (literally "the cat your"), and "your wallet" becomes veskið þitt ("the wallet your"). This is the standard and most natural way to show ownership.
I learned the word for cat is köttur. How did it become köttinn?
Köttur is the basic dictionary form (the nominative case). Because the cat is the direct object of the sentence (it is being looked after), the noun changes to the accusative case, which is kött. Then, we add the accusative ending for "the" (-inn), giving us köttinn (the cat).
Why are the cat and wallet in the accusative case here to begin with?