Breakdown of Þú vilt ekki læra þetta tungumál með því að svindla.
þú
you
ekki
not
læra
to study
vilja
to want (to will, be willing)
þessi
this (m/f)
tungumálið
the language
með því að
by doing
svindla
to cheat
Questions & Answers about Þú vilt ekki læra þetta tungumál með því að svindla.
How does með því að work here, and why is því used?
It translates literally as "with it to". The preposition með describes the method or instrument here, which requires the dative case. Því is the dative neuter form of það (it). Together with the infinitive marker að, it creates a bridge linking the preposition to the verb svindla to mean "by cheating".
Why is the verb svindla in the infinitive instead of an "-ing" form like in English?
Icelandic does not have an exact equivalent to English "-ing" verbs (gerunds) for this kind of sentence. Instead, the construction með því að is always followed by a verb in the infinitive. You are structurally saying "with it to cheat".
Why do we use þetta before tungumál instead of another form for "this"?
The word tungumál (language) is a neuter noun. The verb læra (to learn) takes the accusative case for its direct object, so we must use the neuter accusative form of the demonstrative pronoun, which is þetta.
Why is there no að before læra?
The verb vilja (to want), which gives us vilt here, acts as a modal verb. It connects directly to the main verb (læra) without needing the infinitive marker að. It is similar to how we say "can learn" or "must learn" in English without the word "to".
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