Einfaldan

Einfaldan is a grammatical form in Icelandic. It is the masculine accusative singular inflection of the adjective einfaldur, which means “simple” or “plain.” In Icelandic, adjectives decline to reflect the gender, number, and case of the nouns they modify, and einfaldan appears when the adjective modifies a singular masculine noun in the accusative case without a definite article.

A common example is the sentence “Ég sá einfaldan mann,” which translates to “I saw a simple man.” In this use, einfaldan indicates that the noun it describes (mann, man) is masculine, singular, and in the accusative case. This pattern is part of the broader system of adjective inflection in Icelandic, where other gender and case combinations produce different endings for the same base adjective.

Etymology and cognates: einfaldan derives from the Old Norse adjective einfaldr, meaning “simple.” The word is related to cognates in other Nordic languages, reflecting shared Germanic roots for the concept of simplicity or plainness.

Usage context: In contemporary Icelandic, einfaldan occurs in descriptive contexts and can appear in everyday speech, literature, and translations where a masculine singular noun in the accusative case is described as simple. It is a routine inflectional form rather than a standalone lexical item.

See also: einfaldur, Icelandic grammar, adjectives in Icelandic, Old Norse etymology.

Notes: As with other inflected forms, the exact ending of an adjective in Icelandic depends on the noun it modifies and the surrounding grammatical structure. Einfaldan specifically serves as the masculine accusative singular form of einfaldur.