Breakdown of Sonur minn er ellefu ára.
vera
to be
minn
my (m, f, n: minn, mín, mitt)
sonurinn
the son
ellefu
eleven
árið
the year
Questions & Answers about Sonur minn er ellefu ára.
Does the word ellefu change depending on who or what we are counting?
No, it doesn't! Unlike the numbers 1 through 4, which change their endings to match the gender and case of the noun, the numbers 11 through 20 (like ellefu) stay exactly the same. They do not decline for gender or case.
Why is the word for years written as ára instead of just ár?
Why does it say sonur minn instead of minn sonur?
In Icelandic, possessive words like minn (my) usually come right after the noun they describe. While you can sometimes put it before the noun for special emphasis, placing it after is the standard, natural word order.
Shouldn't it be sonurinn minn with the definite article attached?
You can actually say either sonur minn or sonurinn minn. However, dropping the definite article (the -inn part meaning 'the') is very common and sounds natural when talking about immediate family members like a son, daughter, or parent.
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