Breakdown of Kassinn er tómur og við höfum ekkert.
vera
to be
og
and
við
we
kassinn
the box
hafa
to have
ekkert
nothing / no (neut.)
tómur
empty
Questions & Answers about Kassinn er tómur og við höfum ekkert.
Why do we use ekkert here instead of enginn?
Ekkert is the neuter singular form of enginn (no one/none). We use the neuter form when we mean nothing in general, rather than referring to a specific masculine or feminine noun. Since it is the direct object of the verb höfum (have), it is in the accusative case. For this specific word, the neuter nominative and accusative forms are exactly the same (ekkert).
Does the verb höfum affect the grammar of ekkert?
Yes. The verb hafa (to have) forces the thing you have to be in the accusative case. Even though ekkert looks exactly the same as it does in the nominative case, grammatically it is accusative here because it is the direct object of the sentence.
How is the word kassinn built?
Kassinn means the box. It comes from the masculine noun kassi (a box). In Icelandic, the definite article (the word for the) attaches to the end of the noun. Because kassi ends in a vowel, we just add -nn to make it definite, giving us kassinn.
Why does the adjective tómur (empty) end in -ur?
Adjectives must match the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. Because kassinn is a masculine, singular noun in the nominative case (it is the subject of the sentence doing the being), the adjective tómur must also use its masculine, singular, nominative ending.
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