Breakdown of Stjórinn ræður í fyrirtækinu.
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
stjórinn
the boss
fyrirtækið
the company
ráða
to decide, to be in charge
Questions & Answers about Stjórinn ræður í fyrirtækinu.
Why does ræður mean "is in charge" here? I thought ráða meant "to hire" or "to decide".
The verb ráða is very versatile! When used with a direct object, it usually means "to hire" (like hiring an employee) or "to decide" something. But when it is used on its own without an object, like in this sentence, it means "to be in charge" or "to rule".
Why does the vowel change from "á" to "æ" in ræður?
The verb ráða is a strong verb, meaning it changes its inner vowel in certain tenses. In the present tense singular (I, you, he/she/it), the á shifts to æ, giving us ég ræð, þú ræður, and hann/hún/það ræður. In the plural, the vowel stays as á (for example, við ráðum).
Why is the company in the dative case (fyrirtækinu)?
The preposition í can take either the accusative or the dative case depending on the context. It takes the accusative when showing movement towards a place, but it takes the dative when describing a stationary location. Since the manager is already "in" or "at" the company, we use the dative case.
How is the ending formed on fyrirtækinu?
The base word is fyrirtæki, which is a neuter noun. In the dative case, the word itself does not change and stays as fyrirtæki. To say "the company", we attach the neuter dative definite article -nu directly to the end of the word, making it fyrirtækinu.
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