Breakdown of Hann tekur eina smáköku, en hún tekur fjögur kex.
hún
she
hann
he
en
but
einn
one
fjórir
four
taka
to take
smákakan
the cookie
kexið
the biscuit
Questions & Answers about Hann tekur eina smáköku, en hún tekur fjögur kex.
Why is it eina instead of einn or eitt for "one"?
The word for cookie, smákaka, is a feminine noun. Because it is the direct object being taken, the verb forces it into the accusative case. When counting, you have to match the gender and case, and the feminine accusative form for the number one is eina.
The dictionary word for cookie is smákaka. Why is it spelled smáköku here?
This is also because of the accusative case. For most feminine nouns that end in -a, the ending changes to -u when they are the direct object. You will also notice the first a changes to an ö (smákaka becomes smáköku). This is a very common vowel change in Icelandic whenever a word gets a -u ending.
Why do we use the word fjögur for "four"?
In Icelandic, the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 change their forms to match the gender and case of the noun they are counting. The word kex (biscuit) is a neuter noun in the accusative case here. The neuter accusative form of the number four is fjögur.
"Four biscuits" is plural. Why doesn't the word kex get a plural ending?
Kex is a neuter noun. In Icelandic, neuter nouns that are just one syllable and have no ending don't change at all when they become plural in the nominative or accusative cases. So, one biscuit is eitt kex, and four biscuits are fjögur kex. The number fjögur is what tells us it is plural!
Learn Hann tekur eina smáköku, en hún tekur fjögur kex 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