Breakdown of Mig vantar nýjan snjallsíma til þess að nota þennan hugbúnað.
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
nýr
new
mig
me (acc)
að
to (infinitive marker)
nota
to use
þessi
this (m/f)
til
to
vanta
to need (to lack)
hugbúnaðurinn
the software
snjallsíminn
the smartphone
Questions & Answers about Mig vantar nýjan snjallsíma til þess að nota þennan hugbúnað.
Why does the phrase for "in order to" use til þess að instead of just til að?
Prepositions in Icelandic often link to an infinitive verb by inserting a dummy pronoun (það) and the particle að. The preposition til always triggers the genitive case, changing það to þess. While you might hear a shortened til að in casual speech, til þess að is the full, formally correct structure for "in order to."
Why are both "I" (mig) and "a new smartphone" (nýjan snjallsíma) in the accusative case?
The verb vanta (to lack or need) is an impersonal verb that takes a "double accusative." It requires the accusative case for both the person experiencing the need (mig) and the thing that is needed (nýjan snjallsíma). Because it is impersonal, the verb always stays in the third-person singular form (vantar), regardless of who is doing the needing.
What are the root words that make up hugbúnað (software)?
It is a compound of hugur (mind or thought) and búnaður (equipment or gear). So, software is literally "mind-equipment"! For context, hardware is vélbúnaður, meaning "machine-equipment". The word is in the accusative case here (hugbúnað) because it's the direct object of the verb nota (to use).
Why is the word for "this" þennan rather than þetta?
Demonstrative pronouns like "this" must match the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe. The base word hugbúnaður is a masculine noun, and since it is the object of the verb nota, it is in the accusative case. Therefore, we use the masculine accusative singular form, which is þennan.
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