Breakdown of Sérð þú þennan kjól eða þennan trefil?
þú
you
sjá
to see
eða
or
þessi
this (m/f)
kjóllinn
the dress
trefillinn
the scarf
Questions & Answers about Sérð þú þennan kjól eða þennan trefil?
Why do we use þennan here instead of the basic form þessi?
Þennan is the masculine accusative form of þessi (this). We use it here because both kjóll (dress) and trefill (scarf) are masculine nouns, and they are the direct objects in this sentence — they are the things being seen.
Why are the nouns spelled kjól and trefil rather than kjóll and trefill?
Many masculine nouns that end in -ll in their basic dictionary form will drop one -l when they change into the accusative case. Because they are the objects you are seeing, kjóll becomes kjól and trefill becomes trefil.
Is it the verb sérð that causes these words to be in the accusative case?
Yes! The verb sjá (to see) requires the thing you are seeing to be in the accusative case. Since sérð is the "you" form of sjá, it triggers this change for both "this dress" and "this scarf".
Why does the sentence begin with the verb sérð?
In Icelandic, you make a yes/no question by putting the verb at the very front of the sentence. While English adds the helper word "Do" (Do you see...?), Icelandic simply swaps the order from Þú sérð (You see) to Sérð þú (See you?).
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