Breakdown of Vélin notar fimmtíu og fimm lítra af vatni.
og
and
vatnið
the water
fimm
five
nota
to use
vélin
the machine (f)
fimmtíu
fifty
lítrinn
the liter
af
of (in quantity expressions)
Questions & Answers about Vélin notar fimmtíu og fimm lítra af vatni.
How do we form compound numbers like "fifty-five" (fimmtíu og fimm) in Icelandic?
You combine the tens word and the ones word using og (and). So, fimmtíu og fimm is literally "fifty and five". This is the standard pattern for all numbers above 20, just like the tuttugu og... (twenty and...) pattern you are currently learning.
Since "liters" is in the accusative case, why doesn't the number fimmtíu og fimm change to match it?
In Icelandic, numbers from 5 onwards generally do not change their form to match the gender or case of the noun. Both fimmtíu (fifty) and fimm (five) stay exactly the same here. However, if the machine used 54 liters, the "four" would have to decline to match the masculine accusative noun, becoming fimmtíu og fjóra lítra.
Why is "liters" translated as lítra here instead of lítrar?
The verb nota (to use) forces its object into the accusative case. The base word is lítri (a masculine noun). The plural "liters" in the nominative subject case would be lítrar, but because it is the object of the verb here, it takes the accusative plural form lítra.
Why use the preposition af for "of water" (af vatni)?
When talking about measurements or containers holding a substance (like liters of water, a glass of milk, or a piece of cake), Icelandic uses the preposition af plus the dative case. Since af requires the dative, the neuter word vatn (water) becomes vatni.
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