Word
Ég þarf að kaupa fimmtán penna.
Meaning
I need to buy fifteen pens.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Ég þarf að kaupa fimmtán penna.
Does the word fimmtán change depending on the case or gender of penna?
No. Unlike the numbers 1 through 4, the numbers 11 through 20 (including fimmtán) do not change their endings. They stay exactly the same no matter the gender or case of the noun they describe.
Why is the word for pens penna here instead of pennar?
The verb kaupa (to buy) forces the object being bought into the accusative case. Penni (pen) is a masculine noun, and its accusative plural form is penna.
Why is there an að before kaupa?
Just like in English where we say 'need to buy', Icelandic uses the infinitive marker að between the verb þurfa (to need) and the action verb kaupa (to buy).
Þarf doesn't look much like its dictionary form þurfa. Why is that?
Þurfa is an irregular verb. In the present tense, the vowel changes from 'u' to 'a' for singular pronouns. So you get ég þarf (I need), but the plural keeps the 'u', like in við þurfum (we need).