Question 1

I see the -um ending on koddum. What is the base word, and why does it end this way?

Accepted Answer

The base word is koddi (pillow). The -um ending tells us it is in the dative plural form, meaning "pillows". All Icelandic nouns take this -um ending in the dative plural, no matter their gender.

Question 2

Why is it koddum instead of koddunum?

Accepted Answer

Koddum is the bare (indefinite) form, which translates simply to "pillows". If you wanted to say the cat is sleeping on "the pillows", you would use the definite dative plural form koddunum.

Question 3

Why is the word for pillows in the dative case here?

Accepted Answer

The preposition á (on) forces the noun that follows it into the dative case when it describes a stationary location. Since the cat is resting in one place on the pillows, we use the dative.

Question 4

Why does the sentence use er að sofa instead of just sefur?

Accepted Answer

Er að sofa is the continuous form, meaning the cat "is sleeping" right at this exact moment. It is made by combining er (is) + að + the infinitive sofa (to sleep). If you said Kötturinn sefur á koddum, it would mean "The cat sleeps on pillows" as a general habit.

Question 5

Where is the word for "the" in kötturinn?

Accepted Answer

In Icelandic, "the" is attached to the end of the word rather than being a separate word. The base noun is köttur (a cat), and adding the masculine suffix -inn makes it kötturinn (the cat).

Kötturinn er að sofa á koddum.

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