From: haraldr_eikinskjaldi
Message: 2964
Date: 2003-04-11
--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, haukurth@... wrote:
> Mini-lesson - Ordinal Numbers
>
>
> GRAMMAR
>
> Numbers are quirky things. In Old Norse the first four ordinal
> numbers are declined in cases, genders and numbers. The rest are
> not declined at all.
>
> The nominative and accusative singular masculine of the declined
> ordinals are as follows.
>
> nom. einn tveir þrír fjórir
> acc. einn tvá þrjá fjóra
>
> Numbers are often used with the partitive genitive; represented in
> English by "of".
>
> tveir þeira = two of them
> tveir manna Hauks = two of Haukr's men
>
> Sometimes the numeral 'einn' is used as an indefinite article
>
> Hér er EINN maðr.
> Here is A man. / Here is ONE man.
>
>
>
> VOCABULARY
>
> Numerals
>
> Declined:
>
> einn = one
> tveir = two
> þrír = three
> fjórir = four
>
> Not declined:
>
> fimm = five
> sex = six
> sjau = seven
> átta = eight
> níu = nine
> tíu = ten
>
>
> Adjectives
>
> helgr = holy
> vándr = bad (more or less same as 'illr')
>
>
>
> EXERCISES
>
> 1. Translate the following.
>
> Hér eru tveir menn. Þeir heita Óláfr ok Eiríkr.
> Er Óláfr helgr maðr ok góðr mjök en Eiríkr er bæði
> vándr ok illr. Er Eiríkr sér Óláf vill hann hann vega.
> Eiríkr hefir tíu menn en Óláfr fjóra. Óláfr vegr tvá
> manna Eiríks. Menn Eiríks vega einn manna Óláfs. Nú vilja
> sumir flýja því at þeir eru ragir. Tveir manna Eiríks
> flýja. Þá hefir Eiríkr sex menn en Óláfr þrjá.
>
> 2. Make up the end of the story in Old Norse.
>
>
>
> REAL TEXT
>
> The following is from the Icelandic book of homilies; one of the
> oldest extant Icelandic texts.
>
> - - -
> Tvá sonu átti inn fyrsti maðr Adam, ok var annarr
> þeira góðr en annarr vándr. Abel var góðr, en Kain vándr.
>
> Þrír váru synir Nóa í örkinni með honum. Váru tveir góðir,
> en einn var vándr. Sem ok Jafet vóru góðir, en Kam var illr.
>
> Tvá sonu átti Abraham, ok var annarr góðr, en annarr illr.
> Ísak var góðr, en Ismael illr.
>
> Átti Ísak ok tvá sonu. Var annarr góðr, en annarr vándr.
> Er Jakob góðr ok inn helgasti maðr, en Esau vándr.
> - - -
>
> Glossary
>
> synir (nom. pl.) = sons
> sonu (acc. pl.) = sons
> inn fyrsti = the first
> inn helgasti = the holiest
> í örkinni = in the ark
> var, váru = was, were (an older form of 'var' is 'vas')
> annarr = one of two