Question 1

How is the word tjaldað formed from the verb tjalda?

Accepted Answer

Tjalda (to camp) is a Group 1 weak verb, which means it ends in -ar in the present tense (like þú tjaldar). To make the supine form used with hafa (have), you simply take the infinitive tjalda and add a -ð to the end, making tjaldað.

Question 2

Why is there an að before skoða but not before tjaldað?

Accepted Answer

The verb ætla (to intend) is followed by an infinitive verb, which requires the marker að (to), just like in English: "intend TO explore" (ætla að skoða). However, the present perfect tense uses hafa plus the supine directly. Just as we say "have camped" and not "have to camped" in English, Icelandic says hef tjaldað without an að.

Question 3

Why is the word for "the world" written as heiminn instead of heimurinn?

Accepted Answer

The verb skoða (to explore/look at) forces its object into the accusative case. The dictionary form of "the world" is heimurinn (masculine). In the accusative case, the -ur ending drops from the base word leaving heim, and the attached definite article remains -inn, making heiminn.

Question 4

Why do we say á Íslandi instead of í Íslandi for "in Iceland"?

Accepted Answer

In Icelandic, you use the preposition á (on) rather than í (in) when talking about being in Iceland. Because it describes a static location where something happened, it triggers the dative case. The dative form of the neuter noun Ísland adds an -i to the end, giving us á Íslandi.

Ég ætla að skoða heiminn en ég hef bara tjaldað á Íslandi.

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