Breakdown of Ég get einbeitt mér betur eftir kaffipásuna.
ég
I
eftir
after / for (waiting for)
geta
to be able to
betur
better (adverb)
einbeita sér
to concentrate
kaffipásan
the coffee break
Questions & Answers about Ég get einbeitt mér betur eftir kaffipásuna.
Why does the verb geta (can) take the form einbeitt instead of the infinitive einbeita?
In Icelandic, the modal verb geta is special: it is always followed by the supine form (sagnbót) of the main verb, never the infinitive. The supine usually looks identical to the neuter singular past participle, which is why we use einbeitt here.
Why do we need the pronoun mér here?
The verb "to concentrate" in Icelandic is einbeita sér, which is a reflexive verb that governs the dative case. Because the subject is ég (I), you must use the corresponding dative reflexive pronoun mér (literally, "I concentrate myself").
Why is the word for "better" betur here instead of betri?
Betur is a comparative adverb (the comparative form of vel, meaning "well"). You use it here because it describes how you concentrate (an action). Betri is an adjective, which you would only use to describe a noun (like saying a "better coffee").
What case does the preposition eftir take here?
It takes the accusative case. When eftir refers to time (meaning "after" a certain event), it governs the accusative. That's why the feminine noun kaffipása (coffee break) becomes kaffipásu in the accusative, and adds the definite article to become kaffipásuna.
Since this lesson covers á meðan (while), could I say "á meðan kaffipásuna" to mean "while on the coffee break"?
No, you can't use á meðan directly with just a noun phrase. Á meðan is a subordinating conjunction, meaning it needs to introduce a full clause with its own subject and verb (like á meðan ég er í kaffipásu). To use just the noun, you have to use a preposition, like í kaffipásunni (in the coffee break).
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