Breakdown of Samningurinn rennur út þann sjötta mars.
sjötti
sixth
samningurinn
the contract
mars
March
sá
that (sá, sú, það; þann)
Questions & Answers about Samningurinn rennur út þann sjötta mars.
Why do we use þann in this sentence?
In Icelandic, to state that something happens 'on' a specific date, you use the word þann (which literally means 'that') followed by the ordinal number in the accusative case. It takes the place of the English preposition 'on'.
Why is the word for 'sixth' written as sjötta instead of sjötti?
When we talk about dates, the understood noun is dagur (day), which is masculine. Because dates use the accusative case after þann, the masculine ordinal number sjötti changes to its accusative form, sjötta.
Does rennur út literally mean 'runs out'?
Yes! The verb renna means 'to run' or 'to flow', and út means 'out'. Just like in English, when a contract, passport, or even a carton of milk 'runs out', it means it has expired.
Does the month name mars change its case in this sentence?
No, it doesn't. When stating dates with this structure, the month name simply stays in its base dictionary form.