Stjórnmálamaðurinn skilur réttindi borgaranna.
The politician understands the rights of the citizens.
Breakdown of Stjórnmálamaðurinn skilur réttindi borgaranna.
skilja
to understand
borgarinn
the citizen
stjórnmálamaðurinn
the politician
réttindin
the rights
Questions & Answers about Stjórnmálamaðurinn skilur réttindi borgaranna.
Why does borgaranna end in -nna?
This is the definite genitive plural ending. The base word is borgari (citizen), and its genitive plural form is borgara (of citizens). To make it definite (of the citizens), we add the plural definite article -nna, giving us borgaranna.
Why does borgaranna come right after réttindi?
In Icelandic, the noun that shows possession (the genitive noun) usually comes directly after the thing being owned. So réttindi borgaranna translates to the rights of the citizens.
What case is réttindi (rights) in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb skilja (to understand). Réttindi is a neuter plural noun, and for neuter words, the accusative form looks exactly the same as the nominative form.
Stjórnmálamaðurinn is a very long word! How can I break it down?
It is a compound word made of three parts: stjórn (government or control), mál (issue or case), and maðurinn (the man or person). Together, stjórnmál means politics, making a stjórnmálamaður a politician.
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