nafnorðins

Nafnorðin is a grammatical term referring to nouns in Icelandic. Nouns in Icelandic, like in many other languages, are words that represent persons, places, things, or ideas. They are a fundamental part of sentence structure and are inflected for case, number, and gender.

Icelandic nouns have three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Each noun belongs to one of these genders, and this gender influences the form of adjectives and pronouns that modify it. For example, an adjective will have different endings depending on whether it describes a masculine, feminine, or neuter noun.

Nouns also inflect for number, meaning they can be singular or plural. The plural form of a noun is typically formed by adding a suffix, though there are irregularities.

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Icelandic nouns is their case system. Icelandic has four cases: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive. The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence, the accusative for the direct object, the dative for the indirect object, and the genitive to show possession. The form of a noun changes depending on which case it is used in. This inflectional system is complex and requires careful study for learners of the language. Understanding the declension of nafnorðin is crucial for constructing grammatically correct Icelandic sentences.