Breakdown of Kennarinn kenndi mér hvað orðið þýddi.
kennarinn
the teacher
hvað
what
mér
me (dative)
orðið
the word
kenna
to teach
þýða
to mean
Questions & Answers about Kennarinn kenndi mér hvað orðið þýddi.
How do we form the past tense kenndi from the verb kenna?
Kenna is a weak verb. To make the simple past tense, we take the stem kenn- and add the suffix -di. Since kennarinn (the teacher) is a third-person singular subject (he/she), the exact form is kenndi.
Why does þýddi have a double 'd' if the infinitive is þýða?
Þýða is a weak verb, so we make it past tense by adding -di to the stem. However, when we attach -di to a stem ending in ð (like þýð-), the ð turns into a d to make it easier to pronounce. This gives us the double 'd' in þýddi (meant).
Why is the word for "me" mér here instead of mig?
The verb kenna (to teach) requires the person receiving the teaching to be in the dative case. Therefore, we must use mér, which is the dative form of ég (I), rather than the accusative form mig.
How do the definite articles (the) work on kennarinn and orðið?
In Icelandic, "the" is attached to the end of the word. Kennari (teacher) is a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine ending -nn to become kennarinn. Orð (word) is a neuter noun, so it takes the neuter ending -ið to become orðið.
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