Questions & Answers about Hann fær mikið af launum í dag.
Why is the word for salary written as launum here?
The phrase mikið af uses the preposition af, which always forces the noun that follows it into the dative case. The Icelandic word for salary or wages is laun, and it is used as a plural word. The dative plural ending is almost always -um, giving us launum.
Since laun is plural, why do we use mikið af instead of a word for 'many'?
Even though laun is grammatically plural, just like the English word 'wages', it represents an uncountable amount of money. Because we are talking about an uncountable mass or volume, we must use mikið af (a lot of) rather than a word meant for counting individual objects.
What is the dictionary form of the verb fær?
The dictionary form (infinitive) is fá, which means to get or to receive. It is a very common irregular verb. In the present tense, it is conjugated as ég fæ, þú færð, and hann fær.
Why is 'today' translated as í dag?
In Icelandic, 'today' is expressed using a prepositional phrase: í (in) followed by dag, which is the accusative form of dagur (day). It literally translates to 'in day', which is simply a set time phrase you have to memorize.