Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Við fundum nýjar bækur í bókasafninu af því að bókavörðurinn hjálpaði okkur. - We found new books in the library because the librarian helped us.

fundum is the preterite (simple past) tense, indicative mood, 1st person plural of the verb finna (to find). So við fundum literally means “we found.”

Why is the adjective nýjar used with bækur, and why does it end in -jar?

bækur is a feminine plural noun in the accusative case (the direct object of fundum). Icelandic adjectives agree in gender, number, and case with the nouns they modify. The strong declension of nýr in feminine accusative plural is nýjar, so you get nýjar bækur (“new books”).

What does the suffix -inu in bókasafninu indicate?

The suffix -ið is the definite article for neuter singular nouns (bókasafn = “library”). When you put the noun in the dative case (because of the preposition í indicating location), -ið becomes -inu. So bókasafninu means “in the library” (literally “in the-the library”).

Why is í used before bókasafninu, and why is that phrase in the dative case?

In Icelandic, í can govern either dative or accusative. When it describes location (“where?”), it takes the dative. Thus í bókasafninu means “in the library,” with bókasafninu in the dative.

What is the function of af því að, and how is it different from vegna þess að?

af því að is a subordinating conjunction meaning “because.” It introduces a full clause (subject + verb). vegna þess að also means “because of the fact that,” but it is more formal and often reserved for written language. Both can introduce reasons, but af því að is very common in everyday speech.

Why does the verb hjálpaði appear before the pronoun okkur, instead of at the end of the clause?

Normally in a subordinate clause the finite verb goes to the end (verb-final). However, af því að is a multi-word conjunction that behaves like a main‐clause introducer, so it triggers V2 (verb-second) word order. After af því að bókavörðurinn (subject), the verb hjálpaði must come next, followed by the object okkur.

Why is the pronoun okkur used as the object of hjálpaði, and what case is it?

The verb hjálpa (e-u) (“to help someone”) takes its object in the dative case. okkur is the dative plural form of við (“we/us”), so hjálpaði okkur means “helped us.”

Why does bókavörðurinn end with -inn, and what case is it in that clause?

bókavörður is a masculine noun (“librarian”). The ending -inn is the definite nominative singular article (“the librarian”). In the subordinate clause af því að bókavörðurinn hjálpaði okkur, bókavörðurinn is the subject, so it’s in the nominative.