Breakdown of Hefur þú séð fræga minnisvarðann?
þú
you
sjá
to see
hafa
to have
frægur
famous
minnisvarðinn
the monument
Questions & Answers about Hefur þú séð fræga minnisvarðann?
How do we form the supine séð from the strong verb sjá (to see)?
Sjá is a strong verb, meaning it changes its vowel rather than adding a regular past tense ending. However, it is also highly irregular! While many strong verbs end in -ið in the supine (like fara becoming farið), sjá changes completely to séð. You use this form whenever you are pairing it with the helper verb hafa (to have).
Why is the phrase fræga minnisvarðann in the accusative case?
It is the direct object of the verb sjá (to see). In Icelandic, the person or thing that you see takes the accusative case. If it were the subject of a sentence, it would be in its base nominative form: frægur minnisvarði.
Why does the adjective frægur (famous) change to fræga here?
Because the noun minnisvarðann has the definite article attached (meaning "the" monument), the adjective before it must use its "weak" declension. For a masculine, accusative noun, the weak ending for adjectives is -a, giving us fræga.
How do we break down the word minnisvarðann?
The base word is minnisvarði (a monument), which is a weak masculine noun. In the accusative case, its ending changes from -i to -a, becoming minnisvarða. To say "the" monument, we attach the masculine accusative definite article -nn to the end, resulting in minnisvarðann.
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