Breakdown of Ég kaupi eina pylsu og einn poka.
og
and
ég
I
kaupa
to buy
einn
one
pylsan
the hot dog
pokinn
the bag (sack, plastic, or paper)
Questions & Answers about Ég kaupi eina pylsu og einn poka.
Why are there two different words for 'one' (eina and einn) in this sentence?
Why is the feminine word for 'one' eina instead of ein?
Because it is in the accusative case! The verb kaupa (to buy) makes the things you are buying accusative. The dictionary form of the feminine 'one' is ein, but when it becomes the object of this verb, it changes to the accusative form eina.
Wait, doesn't the masculine word for 'one' also change in the accusative case? Why is it still einn?
It actually is in the accusative case here! For masculine nouns, the accusative form of 'one' is einn, which happens to look exactly the same as the dictionary form.
Why did the nouns change to pylsu and poka instead of their dictionary forms pylsa and poki?
Because they are also in the accusative case. Both pylsa (feminine) and poki (masculine) are weak nouns, meaning they end in a vowel. In the accusative case, the -a on feminine weak nouns changes to -u, and the -i on masculine weak nouns changes to -a.
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