Breakdown of Fjórði og fimmti hundurinn voru úti.
vera
to be
hundurinn
the dog
og
and
úti
outside
fjórði
fourth
fimmti
fifth
Questions & Answers about Fjórði og fimmti hundurinn voru úti.
Why does the English translation say 'dogs', but the Icelandic word hundurinn is singular?
In Icelandic, when you use ordinal numbers with 'and' to point out individual items, the noun itself stays singular. You are literally saying 'the fourth and fifth dog'.
If hundurinn is singular, why is the verb voru (were) in the plural form?
Even though the noun hundurinn is written in the singular, the whole subject is 'the fourth [dog] and the fifth [dog]'. Since that makes two dogs in total, the verb must be in the plural form voru.
How do the ordinal numbers fjórði (fourth) and fimmti (fifth) match the noun?
Ordinal numbers change their endings depending on the gender of the noun. Since hundur is a masculine noun, both fjórði and fimmti are in their masculine, singular forms for the Nominative case.
Why is there no separate word for 'the' before fjórði and fimmti?
In Icelandic, ordinal numbers act like 'weak' adjectives, which naturally carry a definite meaning. Because the noun already has the 'the' ending attached (-inn in hundurinn), adding another word for 'the' before the numbers isn't necessary here.
Why do we use úti here instead of út for 'outside'?
You use úti when someone or something is already located outside and resting there. If the dogs were running or moving towards the outside, you would use the motion word út.
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