Questions & Answers about Þeir tóku búnaðinn en við fundum áttavitann.
Why is the verb "took" translated as tóku here?
tóku is the plural past tense form of the strong verb taka (to take). For the pronouns þeir, þær, and þau (they), the past tense ending for strong verbs is usually -u. The singular past tense base is tók-, so it becomes tóku.
Where does the U in fundum come from if the verb is finna (to find)?
finna is a strong verb, meaning it changes its inner vowel in the past tense. While the singular past tense is fann, the plural past tense shifts the vowel to a U, creating the base fund-. Because the subject is við (we), we add the standard ending -um, giving us fundum.
Why are búnaðinn and áttavitann in the accusative case here?
Both are the direct objects of the sentence, meaning they are the items being taken and found. Both búnaður (equipment) and áttaviti (compass) are masculine nouns, and in this sentence they both have the definite article (the suffix meaning "the") attached in the accusative form.
Why does áttavitann end in -ann while búnaðinn ends in -inn?