Breakdown of Konan skoðar matseðilinn og velur máltíðina.
og
and
konan
the woman
skoða
to look at
velja
to choose
máltíðin
the meal
matseðillinn
the menu
Questions & Answers about Konan skoðar matseðilinn og velur máltíðina.
Both matseðilinn and máltíðina are the direct objects here. How do their endings show "the"?
In Icelandic, the word for "the" attaches to the end of the noun. Matseðill (menu) is a masculine word, so in the accusative case (used for direct objects), "the menu" becomes matseðilinn. Máltíð (meal) is feminine, so its accusative definite form is máltíðina.
Why do the two verbs have different endings (skoðar vs. velur)?
Icelandic verbs fall into different groups with different present tense endings. Skoða (to check/inspect) belongs to a very common group that takes an -ar ending for he/she/it (hún skoðar). Velja (to choose) belongs to a different group that takes an -ur ending (hún velur).
What is the literal meaning of matseðill?
It's a compound word made from matur (food) and seðill (a slip, ticket, or piece of paper). So a "food-slip" is a menu!
Why is there no pronoun like "she" (hún) before velur?
Just like in English ("The woman checks the menu and chooses the meal"), you don't need to repeat the subject in Icelandic when two actions are joined by og (and) and are performed by the exact same person.
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