Questions & Answers about Við tölum spænsku og frönsku.
Since this lesson is about kunna (to know how to), could we say við kunnum spænsku instead?
Yes! Saying við kunnum spænsku means "we know Spanish" (we have the skill), whereas við tölum spænsku means "we speak Spanish." In Icelandic, you don't need the verb tala after kunna when talking about languages; you just use the language directly as the object.
Why do spænsku and frönsku end in -u instead of -a?
The verb tala (to speak) forces its object into the accusative case. Languages in Icelandic are usually feminine words that end in -a in their basic nominative form (like spænska and franska). When they become the object of the sentence, that -a changes to a -u.
Why are spænsku and frönsku not capitalized?
Unlike English, Icelandic does not capitalize names of languages, nationalities, or days of the week unless they are the very first word of a sentence.
What is the dictionary form of tölum, and why is there an ö in it?
The dictionary form (infinitive) is tala. When paired with við (we), verbs in Icelandic almost always take an -um ending. Notice that the first a in the root changes to an ö because of the U-shift rule: an a changes to ö when there is a u in the very next syllable.
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