Breakdown of Við tilkynntum eldinn um leið og hann byrjaði.
hann
he
við
we
byrja
to start
um leið og
as soon as
tilkynna
to report
eldurinn
the fire
Questions & Answers about Við tilkynntum eldinn um leið og hann byrjaði.
What does the phrase um leið og literally mean?
The word leið means 'way' or 'path'. Literally, um leið means something like 'about the way' or 'along the way', which came to be used for 'at the same time'. When you add og (and/as), the whole phrase um leið og acts as a subordinating conjunction meaning 'as soon as' or 'the moment that'.
Do I need to use a special word order after um leið og?
No, you can use regular subject-verb word order. In the second half of the sentence, we just have the subject hann followed directly by the verb byrjaði. It connects clauses normally, just like þegar (when) does.
Why does the sentence use hann for 'it' instead of það?
In Icelandic, pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they replace. Hann refers back to eldinn (the fire). Since eldur is a masculine noun, you must use the masculine pronoun hann, even though fires are inanimate objects in English.
Why is 'the fire' written as eldinn instead of eldurinn?
The verb tilkynna (to report or announce) takes a direct object in the accusative case. Eldur is a masculine noun, and its accusative form is eld. When you add the definite article suffix to say 'the fire', it becomes eldinn.
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