Question 1

Why is the word for baker written as bakarann here?

Accepted Answer

The preposition við (with) takes the accusative case when you are talking or chatting with someone. Even though your current lesson focuses on prepositions taking the dative case for location, it is important to remember that við usually triggers the accusative. The base masculine noun bakari (a baker) becomes bakarinn (the baker) in the nominative, and changes to bakarann in the accusative.

Question 2

Is the word á in this sentence the preposition for "on"?

Accepted Answer

No, here á is a verb! It is the third-person singular form of the verb eiga, which means "to own" or "to have." The relative pronoun sem (who/that) connects it to the baker, so sem á means "who owns."

Question 3

How does the word bakaríið get its ending?

Accepted Answer

Bakarí is a neuter noun meaning "bakery." To say "the bakery," you attach the neuter definite article -ið to the end, making it bakaríið. It is in the accusative case here because it is the direct object of the verb eiga (to own). For neuter words, the accusative form luckily looks exactly the same as the nominative form.

Question 4

Why do we use er að spjalla instead of just spjalla?

Accepted Answer

Ég er að spjalla translates to "I am chatting." Icelandic uses this continuous structure (the verb vera + að + an infinitive verb) to show that an action is happening right now, just like the "-ing" form in English. If you just said ég spjalla, it would mean "I chat" in a more general or habitual sense.

Ég er að spjalla við bakarann sem á bakaríið.

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