Breakdown of Er nemandinn með fartölvuna í körfu?
vera
to be
nemandinn
the student
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
með
with
fartölvan
the laptop
karfan
the basket
Questions & Answers about Er nemandinn með fartölvuna í körfu?
How does vera með translate to "carrying", and why is the laptop in the accusative case?
In Icelandic, the phrase vera með (literally "to be with") is the standard way to say you are holding, carrying, or wearing something. When með is used for physical possession like this, it forces the following noun into the accusative case. That's why the laptop is fartölvuna (accusative) instead of its subject form fartölvan.
I know tölva means "computer". What does the far- part of fartölvuna mean?
Fartölva is a fun compound word! The prefix far- relates to travel or movement (it comes from the verb að fara, meaning "to go"). So, a "travel computer" is simply a laptop.
Why is the word for basket körfu here instead of its dictionary form karfa?
The preposition í (in) takes the dative case when describing a fixed location (where something is currently resting). The dative form of karfa is körfu. Notice how the first vowel changes from a to ö? That's the classic "U-shift" rule happening because the word now ends in a -u!
How can I tell from the Icelandic that it's "the laptop" but "a basket"?
In Icelandic, "the" is attached to the end of a noun rather than being a separate word. Fartölvuna has the definite ending -na attached to it, making it "the laptop". Körfu, on the other hand, doesn't have an article attached to the end, so it translates to the indefinite "a basket".
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