Breakdown of Ég vil kaupa mjúkan kodda og stóra köku.
og
and
ég
I
stór
big
kaupa
to buy
kakan
the cake
vilja
to want (to will, be willing)
koddinn
the pillow
mjúkur
soft
Questions & Answers about Ég vil kaupa mjúkan kodda og stóra köku.
Why does the word for soft change to mjúkan here?
Mjúkan is the masculine accusative form of the adjective mjúkur. It takes this form because it describes kodda (pillow), a masculine noun that is receiving the action of the verb kaupa (to buy). In the accusative case, strong masculine adjectives typically end in -an.
Why is the ending for stóra different from mjúkan?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. While the pillow is masculine, köku (cake) is a feminine noun. In the accusative case, strong feminine adjectives take an -a ending, which is why we say stóra instead of stóran.
I learned the words for pillow and cake as koddi and kaka. Why are they kodda and köku in this sentence?
Because you are buying them, they are the direct objects of the sentence and must be in the accusative case. Masculine words ending in -i (like koddi) usually change to -a in the accusative. Feminine words ending in -a (like kaka) usually change to -u.
Why isn't there the word að (to) before the verb kaupa?
Usually, when you put two verbs together in Icelandic, you need að between them. However, the verb vilja (to want) is a special helper verb. When using its forms like vil, it connects directly to the next verb without needing að.
Learn Ég vil kaupa mjúkan kodda og stóra köku 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