Breakdown of Hún segir að það verði auðveldara að skrifa lengri texta þegar við þorum að nota ný orð oftar.
Questions & Answers about Hún segir að það verði auðveldara að skrifa lengri texta þegar við þorum að nota ný orð oftar.
Why does the sentence have að twice? Do both að mean the same thing?
No. They are two different uses of the same word:
segir að ... = says that ...
Here að is a conjunction introducing a subordinate clause.að skrifa / að nota = to write / to use
Here að is the infinitive marker, like English to before a verb.
So in this sentence:
- Hún segir að ... = She says that ...
- auðveldara að skrifa = easier to write
- þorum að nota = dare to use
Why is it verði and not verður?
Verði is the present subjunctive of verða.
A native English speaker often notices this because they expect the normal present form verður. In Icelandic, the subjunctive is often used in subordinate clauses after verbs of saying, thinking, hoping, etc., especially in more formal or careful language, and especially when the statement is not presented as a plain fact.
So:
- verður = indicative
- verði = subjunctive
In this sentence, Hún segir að það verði auðveldara ... has the feel of reported speech or a stated expectation: She says that it will be / become easier ...
You may also hear verður in everyday speech in similar contexts, but verði is very natural and grammatically important to recognize.
How can verði mean will be if it looks like a present-tense form?
Icelandic does not have a separate future tense in the way English does. It often uses present forms, plus context, to express future meaning.
So það verði auðveldara can be understood as:
- it will be easier
- it becomes easier
- it will become easier
The future meaning comes from the context, not from a special future verb ending.
That is very normal in Icelandic.
Why is það used here? What does it refer to?
Here það is a dummy subject or expletive subject, much like English it in sentences such as:
- It is easy to read
- It is fun to learn
In the Icelandic sentence, það does not refer to a specific thing. It just fills the subject position:
- það verði auðveldara að skrifa lengri texta
Literally, this is like:
- it will be easier to write longer texts
So the real content is the infinitive phrase að skrifa lengri texta, but það appears as the grammatical subject.
Why is auðveldara neuter singular?
Because Icelandic commonly uses neuter singular in impersonal statements like this, especially with dummy það and with an infinitive phrase.
So:
- auðveldara = neuter singular comparative of auðveldur (easy)
This matches the construction:
- það verði auðveldara að ... = it will be easier to ...
You can think of it as agreeing with the whole idea expressed by að skrifa lengri texta, not with a masculine or feminine noun.
What case is texta in, and why?
Texta is in the accusative, because it is the direct object of skrifa (to write).
- að skrifa texta = to write a text / to write texts
The adjective lengri also matches that object phrase:
- lengri texta = longer text / longer texts
A useful detail: in this phrase, the forms can look the same for singular and plural. So lengri texta is one of those places where context tells you the number. In this sentence, the intended meaning is longer texts.
Why is it lengri and not something more regular-looking?
Because langur (long) has an irregular comparative:
- langur = long
- lengri = longer
- lengstur = longest
So:
- lengri texta = longer texts
This is just something to learn as a comparison pattern. Not all Icelandic comparatives are formed in exactly the same way.
What form is þorum?
Þorum is the 1st person plural present of þora, which means to dare.
So:
- ég þori = I dare
- við þorum = we dare
In the sentence:
- þegar við þorum að nota ný orð oftar
- when we dare to use new words more often
So við is the subject, and þorum is the finite verb.
Why is it ný orð and not nýja orð?
Because ný orð is an indefinite noun phrase, and Icelandic normally uses the strong adjective form in that situation.
- ný orð = new words
The form nýja is the weak form, which is commonly used when the noun is definite or otherwise specifically identified, for example with the, a demonstrative, or certain other determiners.
So a learner-friendly contrast is:
- ný orð = new words
- nýju orðin = the new words
That is why ný orð is correct here.
What does oftar mean, and what kind of word is it?
Oftar means more often. It is the comparative form of the adverb oft (often).
So:
- oft = often
- oftar = more often
- oftast = most often
In the sentence:
- að nota ný orð oftar = to use new words more often
It modifies the verb nota and tells you about frequency.
Why is the word order þegar við þorum and not something like þegar þorum við?
Because þegar introduces a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses usually have more straightforward subject-verb order.
So:
- þegar við þorum ... = when we dare ...
In main clauses, Icelandic often shows verb-second word order, but subordinate clauses introduced by words like að, þegar, ef, þótt, etc. do not behave the same way.
That is why við comes before þorum here.
Does verða here mean become or be?
It can feel like either, depending on how naturally you translate it into English.
- það verði auðveldara can be understood as it will be easier
- but also as it will become easier
With comparative adjectives like auðveldara (easier), verða often has a become flavor, because it suggests a change into a new state.
So both ideas are close here, and English may choose whichever sounds more natural in context.
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