Breakdown of Þau hafa ekki fundið fræga minnisvarðann.
ekki
not
þau
they (n)
finna
to find
hafa
to have
frægur
famous
minnisvarðinn
the monument
Questions & Answers about Þau hafa ekki fundið fræga minnisvarðann.
Why does the verb finna change to fundið here?
This is the supine (sagnbót) form, used with hafa to say someone "has done" something. Finna is a strong verb, meaning it forms its supine with the ending -ið instead of a consonant like -t. It also has a vowel change from i in the infinitive to u in the supine, a common pattern for strong verbs.
Why is the adjective fræga (famous) used instead of frægan? Isn't it masculine accusative?
Yes, it is masculine accusative! However, because the noun has the definite article attached (minnisvarðann meaning "the monument"), the adjective must use the weak declension. For a masculine accusative noun, the weak adjective ending is just -a, making it fræga instead of the strong form frægan.
How do we get the form minnisvarðann from the base word minnisvarði (monument)?
The verb finna takes an object in the accusative case. Minnisvarði is a weak masculine noun, so it changes to minnisvarða in the accusative. When we attach the definite article meaning "the", we add -nn to the end, resulting in minnisvarðann.
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