3 ms·
Icelandic retains the full 3-gender system to this day, and it’s generally incorrect to refer to gendered inanimate objects as “it”, rather than “he” or “she”.
by kd5bjo 6y ago
Icelandic retains the full 3-gender system to this day, and it’s generally incorrect to refer to gendered inanimate objects as “it”, rather than “he” or “she”.
- dividedbyzero 6y agoSame with German, which has a neutrum genus but sometimes even uses it for people (the child, das Kind, the girl, das Mädchen, the victim, das Opfer, ...) The number of inanimate objects that are not gendered must be pretty small. The sun is female (die Sonne), a street is female (die Straße), cars and houses are neutrum (das Haus, das Auto)
- User23 6y agoButter is a fun one. You get different answers depending on who you ask.
- dividedbyzero 6y agoKetchup is much more controversial though (das Ketchup? Der Ketchup? Wars have been fought about less controversial things.)