Breakdown of Of mikil streita getur valdið höfuðverk.
geta
can
of
too
mikill
much
höfuðverkurinn
the headache
Questions & Answers about Of mikil streita getur valdið höfuðverk.
What does of mikil streita mean as a phrase? Why is it not just mikil streita?
Of means too, excessively, so of mikil streita means too much stress or excessive stress.
Without of, mikil streita would mean great stress, a lot of stress, or severe stress, but not necessarily too much. So of adds the idea of excess.
A useful contrast is:
- mikil streita = a lot of stress / great stress
- of mikil streita = too much stress
Is of here the same as English of?
No. Icelandic of is a completely different word from English of.
In this sentence, of is an adverb meaning too or overly.
It is also different from Icelandic af, which often means of, from, off, depending on context. Learners often mix up of and af, but they are different words with different meanings.
Why is it mikil and not mikill or mikið?