Breakdown of Klukkan er korter yfir fimm.
vera
to be
fimm
five
klukkan
the clock
korterið
the quarter (of an hour)
yfir
past / over, across
Questions & Answers about Klukkan er korter yfir fimm.
Why does the sentence start with Klukkan instead of the Icelandic word for 'It'?
In English, we say 'It is', but in Icelandic, you always say 'The clock is' to tell the time. Klukkan is the definite form of klukka (clock), meaning 'the clock'.
Is korter the same word as 'quarter' in English?
Yes, they sound similar and both mean 15 minutes! However, in Icelandic, korter is used almost exclusively for time. If you wanted a quarter of a physical object like a pizza, you would use a completely different word.
The translation says 'past', but doesn't yfir usually mean 'over'?
Exactly! When telling time, Icelandic uses yfir (over) to mean 'past' the hour. So literally, this sentence translates to 'The clock is a quarter over five'.
How would I change this sentence to say 'a quarter TO five'?
To say 'to' instead of 'past', you just replace yfir with í (in/into). So, 'a quarter to five' is simply Klukkan er korter í fimm.
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