Breakdown of Fólkið keypti allan matinn í búðinni.
búðin
the shop
kaupa
to buy
maturinn
the food
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
allur
all / everything / everyone
fólkið
the people
Questions & Answers about Fólkið keypti allan matinn í búðinni.
Why is the word for 'all' spelled allan here instead of allur?
Allan is the accusative masculine singular form of allur. It has to match the noun it describes, which is matinn (the food). Because the food is the direct object being bought, it takes the accusative case. Therefore, the pronoun allur must also change to the accusative masculine case, becoming allan.
How do you form the phrase 'all the food' in Icelandic?
You use the correct form of allur followed immediately by the noun with its definite article attached. In this sentence, allan is followed by matinn (which is matur + the definite ending -inn) to mean 'all the food'.
Since 'the people' is plural in English, why is the verb keypti in the singular form?
In Icelandic, the word for people, fólk, is a neuter singular noun. Even though it refers to a group of individuals, grammatically it acts like a single unit (similar to the word 'group' or 'crowd' in English). Because fólkið is singular, it uses the singular verb form keypti.
Why is the word for shop, búð, written as búðinni here?
This is the dative definite form of the feminine noun búð (shop). The preposition í triggers the dative case when it describes a stationary location, meaning where an action takes place. Since the action happens inside the shop, búð takes the dative definite ending -inni to mean 'in the shop'.
Learn Fólkið keypti allan matinn í búðinni and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free