Breakdown of Hvar var skóflan mín fyrir fimm mínútum síðan?
vera
to be
hvar
where
fimm
five
minn
my (m, f, n: minn, mín, mitt)
mínútan
the minute (f)
fyrir
ago (fyrir + dative)
síðan
ago (fyrir ... síðan)
skóflan
the shovel
Questions & Answers about Hvar var skóflan mín fyrir fimm mínútum síðan?
How does the phrase fyrir fimm mínútum síðan mean "five minutes ago"?
To say "ago" in Icelandic, you use the structure fyrir + [amount of time in the dative case] + síðan. The word síðan works together with fyrir to anchor the time in the past. Literally, this phrase translates to "before five minutes since".
Why does the word for "minutes" end in "-um" here (mínútum)?
The preposition fyrir forces the following time words to be in the dative case when used in this "ago" structure. Mínúta is a feminine noun, and its dative plural form ends in -um, becoming mínútum.
Why doesn't the number fimm change its ending to match the dative case of the minutes?
In Icelandic, only the numbers one through four change their forms to match the gender and case of the noun they describe. The number fimm (five) and all numbers higher than it do not decline, so it stays exactly the same here even though it is inside a dative phrase.
Why is it skóflan mín (literally "the shovel my") instead of just mín skófla?
When showing possession in Icelandic, the most common and natural word order is the noun with the definite article attached (the "the" ending), followed by the possessive word. So skóflan is "the shovel", and adding mín makes it "my shovel".
Learn Hvar var skóflan mín fyrir fimm mínútum síðan and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free