Við tæmum eldhúsborðið saman eftir matinn, svo það verði auðveldara að baka með hveiti og olíu á morgun.

Questions & Answers about Við tæmum eldhúsborðið saman eftir matinn, svo það verði auðveldara að baka með hveiti og olíu á morgun.

What does tæmum mean here?

Tæmum is the 1st person plural present form of tæma, so it means we empty or we clear off.

In this sentence, with eldhúsborðið as the object, it naturally means we clear the kitchen table rather than literally drain or empty out in a more abstract sense.

So:

  • ég tæmi = I clear / empty
  • við tæmum = we clear / empty
Why is eldhúsborðið written as one word?

Icelandic very often makes compound nouns by joining words together.

Here:

  • eldhús = kitchen
  • borð = table

So:

  • eldhúsborð = kitchen table
  • eldhúsborðið = the kitchen table

This is completely normal in Icelandic. English sometimes writes similar ideas as two words, but Icelandic usually prefers one compound word.

What does the ending -ið in eldhúsborðið mean?

The ending -ið is the definite article, attached to the noun itself.

So:

  • eldhúsborð = a kitchen table / kitchen table
  • eldhúsborðið = the kitchen table

That is a major difference from English. Icelandic often puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

Because borð is a neuter noun, the definite singular form is -ið here.

Why is eldhúsborðið in this exact form?

It is the direct object of tæmum, so it is in the accusative.

However, for many neuter singular nouns in Icelandic, the nominative and accusative look the same. So even though it is accusative here, the form still appears as eldhúsborðið.

That means:

  • grammatically, it is object case
  • visually, it looks the same as the subject form would
Why is it eftir matinn?

Here eftir means after, in a time sense: after the meal.

In this use, eftir takes the accusative, which is why you get matinn.

So:

  • matur = food / meal
  • matinn = the meal, in accusative definite form

This is a very common everyday expression:

  • eftir matinn = after the meal / after dinner
Does matinn mean the food or dinner here?

Here it most naturally means the meal or dinner.

The noun matur can mean several related things depending on context:

  • food
  • meal
  • sometimes specifically dinner

In eftir matinn, Icelandic speakers often mean after dinner or after the meal, not literally after the food.

What does saman add to the sentence?

Saman means together.

It tells you that we are doing the action jointly:

  • Við tæmum eldhúsborðið = We clear the kitchen table
  • Við tæmum eldhúsborðið saman = We clear the kitchen table together

You could leave it out if the context already makes that obvious, but here it adds a sense of cooperation.

What does svo mean in this sentence?

Here svo means so or so that.

It introduces the purpose or intended result of the first action:

  • Við tæmum eldhúsborðið ... svo ...
    = We clear the kitchen table ... so that ...

So this is not the then meaning of svo. It is the so that / in order that meaning.

You may also see svo að in similar sentences, which makes the so that idea even more explicit.

Why is it verði instead of verður?

Because verði is the subjunctive form of verða, and it is commonly used after svo in a purpose clause.

So:

  • verður = indicative, becomes / will become
  • verði = subjunctive, used here for so that it may become / will be

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about an intended outcome:

  • svo það verði auðveldara = so that it will be easier

English usually does not mark this difference as clearly, but Icelandic often does.

What is the role of það in svo það verði auðveldara?

This það is a dummy subject, very much like English it in a sentence such as it is easier to bake.

It does not refer to the kitchen table. Instead, it is just the grammatical subject required by the clause.

The real idea comes afterward:

  • það verði auðveldara að baka
    = it will be easier to bake

So það works like English it in impersonal expressions.

Why is the adjective auðveldara in that form?

Auðveldara is the neuter singular comparative form of auðveldur = easy.

You get that form because it goes with the dummy subject það, which is treated as neuter singular here:

  • það verði auðveldara = it will be easier

So the adjective agrees with það.

Also, just like in English, easier does not need an explicit than phrase. The comparison is understood from context: it will be easier than if they did not clear the table now.

Why do we get að baka instead of a full clause?

Because Icelandic often uses the pattern:

  • það er/verður + adjective + að + infinitive

So here:

  • það verði auðveldara að baka
  • literally: it become easier to bake

This is very similar to English:

  • it will be easier to bake

The person doing the baking is understood from context. It is probably the same we as in the first part of the sentence, but Icelandic does not need to repeat that explicitly here.

Why are hveiti and olíu in those forms after með?

Because með here means with, and in this meaning it takes the dative.

So:

  • hveiti = flour
    The dative singular looks the same here.
  • olía = oil
  • olíu = oil in the dative singular

That is why the phrase is:

  • með hveiti og olíu = with flour and oil

This is a good example of how one noun may show a visible case change and another may not.

What does á morgun mean, and is it a fixed expression?

Á morgun means tomorrow.

It is best learned as a very common fixed time expression. Learners often find it a little surprising because it is literally built with a preposition, but in normal use it simply means tomorrow.

So in this sentence:

  • á morgun = tomorrow

You will hear and see this expression all the time in everyday Icelandic.

Why is the word order svo það verði auðveldara rather than svo verði það auðveldara?

Because after a conjunction like svo, the neutral subordinate-clause order is:

  • conjunction + subject + finite verb

So:

  • svo það verði auðveldara = neutral, normal word order

This is different from the main clause, where Icelandic often follows verb-second word order more strictly.

A different order such as svo verði það auðveldara could appear in special styles or with marked emphasis, but it is not the most straightforward everyday wording here.

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