Learn Icelandic: Svo kastar leikmaðurinn teningnum. - Then the player throws the dice.

Svo kastar leikmaðurinn teningnum.

Then the player throws the dice.

Breakdown of Svo kastar leikmaðurinn teningnum.

svo

then / so (therefore)

Questions & Answers about Svo kastar leikmaðurinn teningnum.

Why does the verb kastar come right after Svo instead of the subject?

This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action! When you start a sentence with an adverb or sequence connector like Svo (then), the verb must take the second slot. So instead of saying 'Svo leikmaðurinn kastar', Icelandic swaps the subject and verb to say Svo kastar leikmaðurinn.

Why is the word for the dice teningnum here instead of the base form teningurinn?

The verb að kasta (to throw) always takes its object in the dative case. The dictionary form for 'the dice' is teningurinn, but because it is being thrown, it changes to the dative form teningnum.

Could I use síðan instead of svo in this sentence?

Yes, absolutely. Both svo and síðan are used to mean 'then' when describing a sequence of events. Svo is very common in everyday conversation, while síðan can sometimes sound slightly more formal or emphatic, but they mean the exact same thing here.

How does the word leikmaðurinn break down?

It is a compound noun made of leikur (a game) and maður (a person/man), so leikmaður literally means 'game-person' or 'player'. The -inn on the very end is the attached definite article, meaning 'the'.