Noun Inflection
Below is a representation of three grammatical genders, two numbers and four cases in the nominal inflection. This is just an overview to give a general idea of how the grammar works. Faroese actually has even more declensions. In modern Faroese the genitive has a very limited use (and possession is mostly expressed with various prepositional phrases instead).
Read:
- hvør, hvat? interrogative pronoun "who, what?"
- ein indefinite article "a"
- stórur adjective "big"
- bátur noun "boat"
- ein stórur bátur - a big boat (m.)
- ein vøkur genta - a beautiful girl (f.)
- eitt gott barn - a good child (n.)
In the plural you will see that even the numeral tvey (2) is inflected.
| Indefinite phrases | ||||||
| Singular | ? | Masculine | ? | Feminine | ? | Neuter |
| Nominative | hvør? | ein stórur bátur | hvør? | ein vøkur genta | hvat? | eitt gott barn |
| Accusative | hvønn? | ein stóran bát | hvørja? | eina vakra gentu | hvat? | eitt gott barn |
| Dative | hvørjum? | einum stórum báti | hvørj(ar)i? | einari vakari gentu | hvørjum? | einum góðum barni |
| Genitive | hvørs? | eins stórs báts | hvørjar? | einar vakrar gentu | hvørs? | eins góðs barns |
| Plural | ? | Masculine | ? | Feminine | ? | Neuter |
| Nominative | hvørjir? | tveir stórir bátar | hvørjar? | tvær vakrar gentur | hvørji? | tvey góð børn |
| Accusative | hvørjar? | tveir stórar bátar | hvørjar? | tvær vakrar gentur | hvørji? | tvey góð børn |
| Dative | hvørjum? | tveimum stórum bátum | hvørjum? | tveimum vøkrum gentum | hvørjum? | tveimum góðum børnum |
| Genitive | hvørja? | tveggja stóra báta | hvørja? | tveggja vakra genta | hvørja? | tveggja góða barna |
If the noun is definite, the adjective inflects weak, and the noun gets a suffix article as in any Scandinavian language (although Icelandic does not generally need a pre-posed definite article in this construction).
The interrogative pronoun is the same as above. In the plural, the plural form of the definite article is used.
Read:
- tann stóri báturin - the big boat-the
- tann vakra gentan - the beautiful girl-the
- tað góða barnið - the good child-the
| Definite phrases | |||
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | tann stóri báturin | tann vakra gentan | tað góða barnið |
| Accusative | tann stóra bátin | ta vøkru gentuna | tað góða barnið |
| Dative | tí stóra bátinum | tí vøkru gentuni | tí góða barninum |
| Genitive | tess stóra bátsins | teirrar vøkru gentunnar | tess góða barnsins |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | teir stóru bátarnir | tær vøkru genturnar | tey góðu børnini |
| Accusative | teir stóru bátarnar | tær vøkru genturnar | tey góðu børnini |
| Dative | teimum stóru bátunum | teimum vøkru gentunum | teimum góðu børnunum |
| Genitive | teirra stóru bátanna | teirra vøkru gentunna | teirra góðu barnanna |
Read more about this topic: Faroese Grammar
Famous quotes containing the word noun:
“It will be proved to thy face that thou hast men about thee that usually talk of a noun and a verb and such abominable words as no Christian ear can endure to hear.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)