Questions & Answers about Var hann sjöundi maðurinn?
Why do we use sjöundi here?
Sjöundi means "seventh". In Icelandic, ordinal numbers act a lot like adjectives. Because maðurinn (the man) is a masculine noun in the nominative case, we use the masculine nominative form sjöundi.
How does the ending of sjöundi work?
From "second" onwards, ordinal numbers behave like weak adjectives. For a masculine noun in the nominative case, the ending is -i, making it sjöundi. If the noun were feminine or neuter, the ending would be -a, making it sjöunda.
Why does maðurinn have the definite article attached to it?
When you say phrases like "the seventh man" in Icelandic, the noun usually keeps its attached definite article. So you are literally saying "seventh man-the" (sjöundi maðurinn). You do not add a separate free-standing word for "the" in front of the number.
As a quick refresher, why does this sentence start with Var?
Var is the past tense of vera (to be) for "he". To make a yes/no question in Icelandic, you simply swap the subject and the verb, exactly like in English. So Hann var (He was) becomes Var hann (Was he).