Breakdown of Kettlingur Kristínar elskaði mjólkina.
elska
to love
mjólkin
the milk
Kristín
Kristín
kettlingurinn
the kitten
Questions & Answers about Kettlingur Kristínar elskaði mjólkina.
Why does the name Kristín have an -ar at the end?
This is the genitive case, which is used to show ownership, just like adding "'s" in English. Because Kristín is a feminine name, it takes the -ar ending. If it were a typical masculine name like Pétur, it would take an -s ending to become Péturs.
Why is the word order Kettlingur Kristínar instead of Kristínar kettlingur?
In Icelandic, the possessor (the owner) usually comes right after the thing being owned. So, instead of saying "Kristín's kitten," the sentence structure is literally "Kitten Kristín's".
Does kettlingur change its ending because it belongs to Kristín?
No. The word kettlingur (kitten) is the main subject doing the loving, so it stays in its basic dictionary form (the nominative case). Only the owner (Kristínar) gets the special genitive ending.
Why is the final word mjólkina and not just mjólk?
Mjólk means "milk", but the sentence says "the milk", so we have to add the attached "the" ending. Because the milk is the direct object receiving the action of the verb, it is in the accusative case. For a feminine word like mjólk, the definite accusative ending is -ina.
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