Breakdown of Hann fær þennan skammt tvisvar í viku.
hann
he
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
vikan
the week (f)
fá
to get
þessi
this (m/f)
tvisvar
twice
skammturinn
the dose
Questions & Answers about Hann fær þennan skammt tvisvar í viku.
Why do we use í for í viku when saying 'twice a week', but á in á dag for 'twice a day'?
In Icelandic, time frequency expressions use different prepositions depending on the time word. You use í with weeks and months (í viku, í mánuði), but you must use á with days and years (á dag, á ári).
Does the word tvisvar change its spelling depending on the gender of the noun?
No, tvisvar is an adverb meaning 'twice', so its form never changes. You might be thinking of the number two (tveir / tvær / tvö), which does change based on gender and case. But for 'twice', it is always just tvisvar.
Why does the sentence use þennan skammt instead of the dictionary forms þessi skammtur?
The phrase 'this dose' is the direct object of the verb fá (to get), which means it receives the action and must be in the accusative case. The masculine noun skammtur drops its '-ur' ending to become skammt, and the word for 'this' changes to its masculine accusative form, þennan.
Where does the verb fær come from?
It is the 'he/she/it' form of the verb fá (to get or receive). It is an irregular verb, which is why the vowel changes from 'á' to 'æ' in the present tense singular forms.
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