Breakdown of Stelpan var þreytt en reyndi að læra.
vera
to be
en
but
stelpan
the girl
þreyttur
tired
læra
to study
að
to (infinitive marker)
reyna
to try (attempt)
Questions & Answers about Stelpan var þreytt en reyndi að læra.
How do we know to use the -di ending for reyndi?
reyndi is the past tense of the weak verb reyna (to try). In Icelandic, Group 2 and 3 weak verbs form the past tense by adding -di, -ti, or -ði to the verb stem. Because the stem of reyna ends in the consonant n, it takes the -di suffix.
Why is the word for tired written as þreytt instead of the dictionary form þreyttur?
Adjectives in Icelandic change their endings to match the gender of the noun they describe. Since Stelpan (the girl) is a feminine noun, the adjective drops the masculine -ur ending and takes the feminine singular form, which is þreytt.
Does var (was) follow the same past tense rules as reyndi?
No, var is the past tense of the verb vera (to be). vera is an irregular strong verb, meaning it changes its inner vowel entirely instead of adding a -di, -ti, or -ði ending. It is a very common verb that does not follow the weak verb rules!
What is the purpose of að in this sentence?
Here, að acts as the infinitive marker meaning 'to'. It connects the conjugated past tense verb reyndi (tried) with the unconjugated dictionary form of the verb læra (study). It works exactly like the English phrase 'tried to study'.
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