Breakdown of Stelpan kvíðir fyrir því að skoða allar tilkynningarnar.
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
stelpan
the girl
að
to (infinitive marker)
skoða
to look at
Questions & Answers about Stelpan kvíðir fyrir því að skoða allar tilkynningarnar.
Why do we need því right before að skoða?
The verb kvíða (to dread) is followed by the preposition fyrir. In Icelandic, a preposition cannot go directly before an infinitive phrase like að skoða. Instead, you must insert a dummy pronoun. Since fyrir takes the dative case here, we use því (the dative form of það).
Is fyrir always used with kvíða?
Yes, kvíða fyrir is a fixed phrasal verb meaning to dread something. The preposition fyrir is what forces the following dummy pronoun into the dative case.
Why is allar tilkynningarnar in the accusative case if fyrir takes the dative?
The phrase allar tilkynningarnar (all the notifications) is the direct object of the infinitive verb skoða (to check), not of the preposition fyrir. Because skoða takes the accusative case, its object must be accusative.
What is the root word for tilkynningarnar, and why does allar end in -ar?
The root noun is tilkynning (notification), which is feminine. Here it is in the plural accusative form with the definite article attached: tilkynningarnar. The word for all (allur) must agree in gender, number, and case, making it the feminine plural accusative allar.