Word
Við þurfum að halda áfram án þess að gefast upp.
Meaning
We need to keep going without giving up.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Við þurfum að halda áfram án þess að gefast upp.
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
þurfa
to need
halda áfram
to continue, keep going
Questions & Answers about Við þurfum að halda áfram án þess að gefast upp.
Why do we use án þess að instead of just án að?
In Icelandic, prepositions like án (without) must be followed by a noun or a pronoun, not directly by an infinitive verb. To fix this, we add the dummy pronoun það (it/that). Because the preposition án forces the word following it to be in the genitive case, það changes to þess. So án þess að gefast upp literally translates to 'without that to give up'.
Why does 'give up' use the form gefast instead of just gefa?
Gefast is the middle voice (the -st form) of the verb gefa (to give). While gefa upp means to surrender or reveal something specific (like giving up a secret or information), the -st form gefast upp is used when you are giving up yourself, which is how you say 'to quit' or 'to surrender'.
How does halda áfram mean 'to keep going'?
The verb halda normally means 'to hold', and the adverb áfram means 'forward' or 'onward'. When put together, they create a fixed phrase meaning 'to hold onward', which translates to 'to continue' or 'to keep going'.
Why are there two að words in this sentence?