Breakdown of Sjúklingurinn gleypir eina pillu þrisvar á dag.
einn
one
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
dagurinn
the day (m)
sjúklingurinn
the patient
Questions & Answers about Sjúklingurinn gleypir eina pillu þrisvar á dag.
Why do we say á dag here but the lesson also talks about í viku?
Icelandic uses different prepositions to say 'a' or 'per' depending on the length of time. You use á with days and years (á dag, á ári), but you use í with weeks and months (í viku, í mánuði).
Is þrisvar related to the number three (þrjú)?
Yes! For counting frequency, Icelandic has special words for one, two, and three times: einu sinni (once), tvisvar (twice), and þrisvar (three times). For four or more, you just use the regular number plus sinnum (times), like fjórum sinnum.
Why is it eina pillu instead of just ein pilla?
The patient is swallowing the pill, making it the direct object of the action. This forces the feminine noun pilla into the accusative case, becoming pillu. The number one must also match this feminine accusative form, becoming eina.
How does the word sjúklingurinn break down?
The base word is sjúklingur (patient). It comes from the adjective sjúkur, meaning sick. The suffix -lingur is often used to describe a person with a certain trait. The -inn at the very end is the attached definite article, meaning 'the'.