Questions & Answers about Þetta er stór bóndabær.
Why is Þetta (neuter) used here when bóndabær is a masculine noun?
How does the compound word bóndabær break down?
It is made from bóndi (farmer) and bær (farm or town). In Icelandic, compound words often connect using the genitive (possessive) case of the first word. The genitive singular of bóndi is bónda, so they combine to make bóndabær (literally "farmer's farm").
Since the current lesson is about the genitive plural ending in "-a", is bónda- a genitive plural here?
No, this is a great catch and a tricky exception! While most regular nouns take an -a ending in the genitive plural, bóndi is highly irregular. Its genitive singular is bónda, but its genitive plural is actually bænda. So bóndabær uses the singular form, whereas a word like bændasamtök (farmers' association) uses the plural.
Why is the adjective stór used instead of stórt?
Stór (big/large) describes bóndabær. Because the core noun bær is masculine and is the subject of the sentence (in the nominative case), the adjective must also be in the masculine nominative singular form, which is stór.
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