Questions & Answers about Sjöunda barnið er veikt.
Why does the word for "seventh" end in -a here (sjöunda)?
Ordinal numbers in Icelandic generally behave like weak adjectives. For "seventh", the masculine form is sjöundi, but both the feminine and neuter forms are sjöunda. Because barn (child) is a neuter noun, we must use the neuter form sjöunda.
Why is it sjöunda barnið instead of just sjöunda barn?
When you use an ordinal number to say things like "the first house" or "the seventh child", Icelandic usually attaches the definite article directly to the end of the noun. So you get sjöunda barnið, which translates literally as "seventh child-the".
Is there a pattern for creating the ordinal numbers 7th through 10th?
Yes! For numbers 7 through 10, the ordinal forms always end in -undi for masculine words, and -unda for feminine and neuter words. For example, sjö (seven) becomes sjöundi or sjöunda, and tíu (ten) becomes tíundi or tíunda.
Why is the adjective for "sick" spelled veikt here instead of veikur?
Adjectives must always match the gender of the noun they describe. The standard dictionary form is the masculine veikur, but since barn is a neuter noun, the adjective drops the -ur and takes the neuter ending -t to become veikt.
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