Breakdown of Hvaða beinagrind var hér fyrir tveimur dögum síðan?
vera
to be
hér
here
tveir
two
dagurinn
the day (m)
hvaða
which, what
fyrir
ago (fyrir + dative)
síðan
ago (fyrir ... síðan)
beinagrindin
the skeleton
Questions & Answers about Hvaða beinagrind var hér fyrir tveimur dögum síðan?
How does the "ago" phrase work in this sentence?
To say "ago" in Icelandic, you use the structure fyrir + [time amount in the dative case] + síðan. In this sentence, the time amount is tveimur dögum (two days). So, fyrir tveimur dögum síðan translates to "two days ago".
Why is the word for "two" written as tveimur?
The number two changes its form to match the noun it describes. Because the "ago" construction requires the dative case, and the word for days (dögum) is masculine dative plural, the number two must also be in the dative masculine form, which is tveimur.
Why does dögum end in -um?
The preposition fyrir in this time expression forces the following noun into the dative case. The basic word for "day" is dagur. In the plural dative case, it becomes dögum. The -um ending is the standard dative plural ending for almost all nouns in Icelandic.
Does the word hvaða (which) change depending on the gender of the noun?
No, it does not. Unlike adjectives and many pronouns in Icelandic, hvaða is invariable. It stays exactly the same whether it is followed by a masculine, feminine (like beinagrind), or neuter noun, and whether that noun is singular or plural.
Beinagrind (skeleton) looks like a compound word. What is it made of?
Learn Hvaða beinagrind var hér fyrir tveimur dögum 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