Breakdown of Ég þurrka blettinn strax af áður en hann verður stærri.
ég
I
áður en
before
verða
to become
stærri
bigger
Questions & Answers about Ég þurrka blettinn strax af áður en hann verður stærri.
Is þurrka an infinitive here, or is it the present tense?
It is the present tense, 1st person singular: ég þurrka = I wipe / I am wiping / I’ll wipe depending on context.
This can be confusing because þurrka is also the infinitive form of the verb. Icelandic weak verbs often look the same in the infinitive and in 1st person singular present.
The difference is shown by context:
- að þurrka = to wipe
- ég þurrka = I wipe
So in this sentence, Ég makes it clear that þurrka is a finite verb, not an infinitive.
Why is it blettinn and not blettur or bletturinn?
Because blettinn is the accusative singular definite form, and here the stain is the direct object of þurrka.
The forms are:
- blettur = a stain or stain as a dictionary form, nominative singular
- bletturinn = the stain in the nominative singular
- blettinn = the stain in the accusative singular
Since you are wiping the stain, the noun is the thing being acted on, so Icelandic uses the accusative.
Why is separated from ?