Question 1

Why do we need því before að minnka? English just says "in reducing".

Accepted Answer

This is a classic Icelandic structure! Prepositions like á usually cannot connect directly to an infinitive verb (like að minnka). Instead, you use a "dummy" pronoun to act as a bridge. The pronoun used is það (it), but because the preposition á dictates the dative case in this phrase, það changes to því. You are literally saying, "I have interest in it, to reduce..."

Question 2

Can I just drop the því and say Ég hef áhuga á að minnka...?

Accepted Answer

In casual, spoken Icelandic, you will actually hear people drop the því quite often. However, in standard written Icelandic and formal speech, using the preposition + því + að + infinitive structure is the grammatically correct and expected way to build this sentence.

Question 3

Why does the word for "interest" (áhugi) end in an "a" here?

Accepted Answer

The verb hafa (to have) requires its direct object to be in the accusative case. Áhugi is a masculine noun that ends in a vowel, meaning it's a "weak" noun, so it changes to áhuga in the accusative. The full fixed phrase to memorize is að hafa áhuga á (to have an interest in).

Question 4

Why is the compound word skjártímann in the accusative case?

Accepted Answer

It is the direct object of the infinitive verb minnka (to reduce), which requires the accusative case. The word is made up of skjár (screen) and tími (time). Because of the verb, tími becomes tíma, and we attach the accusative definite article -nn to the end to get skjártímann (the screen time).

Ég hef áhuga á því að minnka skjártímann.

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