Breakdown of Glæpamaðurinn gengur inn í dimma fangelsið.
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
ganga
to walk
dimmur
dark
inn
in (motion inwards)
glæpamaðurinn
the criminal
fangelsið
the prison
Questions & Answers about Glæpamaðurinn gengur inn í dimma fangelsið.
Why do we use the weak adjective form dimma here instead of the strong form dimmt?
We use the weak form because the noun it describes, fangelsið (the prison), has the definite article attached to it (-ið). Whenever an adjective comes before a definite noun, it must use its weak declension.
What case is dimma fangelsið in, and why?
It is in the accusative case. The preposition í takes the accusative when it describes movement towards a destination, which is shown here by the directional word inn (into).
How does the weak declension work for neuter adjectives in the accusative case?
It is very straightforward! For neuter nouns like fangelsi, the weak adjective ends in -a in all four singular cases (nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive). So the strong neuter form dimmt becomes the weak neuter dimma.
Why does the word glæpamaðurinn end in -inn?
Glæpamaður (criminal) is a masculine noun. Since it is the subject of the sentence, it is in the nominative case. The -inn at the end is the attached definite article, meaning the criminal.
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