Breakdown of Notandinn stendur og bíður eftir því að opna forritið.
og
and
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
að
to (infinitive marker)
opna
to open
bíða
to wait
standa
to stand
eftir
after / for (waiting for)
notandinn
the user
forritið
the program
Questions & Answers about Notandinn stendur og bíður eftir því að opna forritið.
Why do we say eftir því að instead of just eftir að opna?
In Icelandic, prepositions like eftir cannot directly connect to an infinitive verb phrase starting with að. Instead, you need a dummy pronoun to act as a bridge. The pronoun það steps in as the object of the preposition, giving us the structure eftir því að.
Why does the dummy pronoun það change to því here?
The preposition eftir dictates the case of the word that follows it. In the phrasal verb bíða eftir (to wait for), the preposition always governs the dative case. Therefore, the dummy pronoun það takes its dative form, því.
Is stendur og bíður a special way to express continuous action?
Yes! While you could say er að bíða (is waiting), Icelandic frequently uses posture verbs like standa (to stand), sitja (to sit), or liggja (to lie) followed by og (and) plus another verb to show that an action is currently ongoing. It paints a very natural, vivid picture.
What kind of word is notandinn?
It means the user. The root word is notandi (user), which is a masculine noun created from the present participle of the verb nota (to use). Nouns ending in -andi describe a person doing an action, much like the -er ending in English. Here, it has the definite article attached, making it notandinn.
What case is forritið in?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object being acted upon by the verb opna (to open). Because forrit (program) is a neuter noun, its accusative form with the definite article attached looks identical to its dictionary (nominative) form.
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