Summary

Portrait of Henry Sweet Henry Sweet,  Icelandic Primer with Grammar, Notes and Glossary

“ Auðun sęgir: 'Guð þakki yðr, herra! sōma þann allan er þēr vilið til mīn lęggja; en hitt er mēr ī skapi at fara ūt til Īslands.' Konungr sęgir: 'þetta sȳnisk mēr undarliga kosit.' Auðun mælti: 'eigi mā ek þat vita, herra!' sęgir hann, 'at ek hafa hēr mikinn sōma með yðr, en mōðir mīn troði stafkarls stīg ūt ā Īslandi; þvī at nū er lokit bjǫrg þeiri er ek lagða til, āðr ek fœra af Īslandi.' Konungr svarar: 'vel er mælt,' sęgir hann, 'ok mannliga, ok muntu verða giptu-maðr; þessi einn var svā hlutrinn, at mēr myndi eigi mis-līka at þū fœrir ī braut heðan ”
Source: Gutenberg

Portrait of Henry Sweet Henry Sweet,  Icelandic Primer with Grammar, Notes and Glossary

“ Þā mælti jarl við mann þann er sumir nęfna Finn, en sumir sęgja at hann væri Finskr, sā var hinn mesti bog-maðr: 'skjōt-tu mann þann hinn mikla ī krapparūminu!' Finnr skaut, ok kom ǫrin ā boga Einars miðjan, ī þvī bili er Einarr drō it þriðja sinn bogann. Brast þā boginn ī tvā hluti. Þā mælti Ōlāfr konungr: 'hvat brast þar svā hātt?' Einarr svarar: 'Noregr ōr hęndi þēr, konungr!' 'Eigi mun svā mikill brestr at orðinn,' sęgir konungr, 'tak boga minn, ok skjōt af,' ok kastaði boganum til hans. ”
Source: Gutenberg

Portrait of Henry Sweet Henry Sweet,  Icelandic Primer with Grammar, Notes and Glossary

“ The extensive use of the instrumental dative is very characteristic of Icelandic: whenever the direct object of a verb can be considered as the instrument of the action expressed by the verb, it is put in the dative, as in kasta spjōti 'throw a spear' (lit. 'throw with a spear') , hann helt hamarskaptinu 'he grasped the handle of the hammer,' heita þvī 'promise that,' jāta þvī 'agree to that.'
Adjectives
181. The weak form of adjectives is used as in O.E. after the definite article, þessi and other demonstratives. annarr (other) is always strong.
”
Source: Gutenberg

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