Amma fæddist árið nítján hundruð og fimmtíu.
Grandma was born in the year nineteen hundred and fifty.
Breakdown of Amma fæddist árið nítján hundruð og fimmtíu.
og
and
amman
the grandmother
árið
the year
nítján
nineteen
fimmtíu
fifty
hundrað
one hundred
fæðast
to be born
Questions & Answers about Amma fæddist árið nítján hundruð og fimmtíu.
Why do we say nítján hundruð og fimmtíu instead of just "nítján fimmtíu" like in English?
In Icelandic, years are read as full numbers. You literally say "nineteen hundred and fifty". You cannot split the year into two-digit chunks like we often do in English.
Is hundruð the plural form of "hundred"?
Exactly. The singular word for "a hundred" is hundrað. Because we have nineteen of them here, we use the plural form hundruð. You will always see this plural form for years between 1100 and 1999.
Why is the word for "year" written as árið instead of just ár?
When naming a specific calendar year, Icelandic uses the definite form árið (the year) right before the number. It translates closely to saying "in the year 1950".
What does the -st ending on fæddist do?
The -st ending creates the middle voice, which often gives a verb a passive meaning. The base verb fæða means "to give birth", but adding -st makes it fæðast (to be born). Here it is in the past tense: fæddist (was born).
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