Breakdown of Ætlar þú að kaupa fjóra gosdrykki eða þrjár pylsur?
þú
you
kaupa
to buy
að
to (infinitive marker)
þrír
three
fjórir
four
ætla
to intend
eða
or
pylsan
the hot dog
gosdrykkurinn
the soft drink
Questions & Answers about Ætlar þú að kaupa fjóra gosdrykki eða þrjár pylsur?
Why do we say fjóra instead of the dictionary form fjórir?
The word gosdrykkur (soft drink) is a masculine noun. Because these drinks are the object being bought in this sentence, they take the accusative case. In Icelandic, the numbers 1 through 4 change to match the gender and case of the noun they describe. The masculine accusative form of four is fjóra.
Why is the number three written as þrjár for the hot dogs?
Just like with the soft drinks, the number has to match the noun it describes. The word pylsa (hot dog) is a feminine noun. Because the hot dogs are also the object being bought, we need the feminine accusative form of three, which happens to be þrjár (the same as its subject/nominative form).
Why do we need the word að before kaupa?
The sentence uses the verb ætla (to intend / to be going to). When you say you are going to do another action, you connect ætla to the basic dictionary form (infinitive) of the next verb using að. So, ætlar þú að kaupa translates literally as "intend you to buy".
What exactly does the word gosdrykki mean literally?
It is the plural object (accusative) form of gosdrykkur. It is a compound word made of gos (fizz or eruption—this is actually where the English word "geyser" comes from!) and drykkur (drink). So it literally translates to "fizzy drink".
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