Breakdown of Leikurinn byrjar klukkan hálf fimm.
fimm
five
byrja
to start
klukkan
the clock
leikurinn
the game
hálfur
half
Questions & Answers about Leikurinn byrjar klukkan hálf fimm.
Why does hálf fimm mean "half past four" instead of "half past five"?
In Icelandic, hálf (half) looks forward to the next hour. You can think of hálf fimm as meaning "halfway to five" (4:30). If you wanted to say "half past five" (5:30), you would say hálf sex.
The English translation says "at half past four," but I don't see a word for "at" here. Why?
Icelandic doesn't use a preposition like "at" for specific times on the clock. You just use klukkan (the clock) followed by the time. Because the verb byrjar (starts) shows an action happening, klukkan hálf fimm automatically means "at half past four" in this sentence.
How does Leikurinn mean "the game"?
In Icelandic, the word for "the" (the definite article) attaches to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word. The base word is leikur (a game, or play), and adding the -inn ending gives you leikurinn (the game).
What is the base form of the verb byrjar?
The dictionary form (infinitive) is byrja (to start or begin). Because we are talking about leikurinn (the game), which acts as a single entity doing the action (he/she/it), the verb takes the 3rd person singular ending, becoming byrjar.
Learn Leikurinn byrjar klukkan hálf fimm 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