Breakdown of Mætti ég sjá uppfinninguna á rannsóknarstofunni?
ég
I
sjá
to see
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
mega
to be allowed to
uppfinningin
the invention
rannsóknarstofan
the laboratory
Questions & Answers about Mætti ég sjá uppfinninguna á rannsóknarstofunni?
Why use mætti instead of má, and how is it formed?
Mætti is the past subjunctive of mega (to be allowed to / may). Just like in English ("Might I..."), using the past subjunctive makes the request much more polite. To form it, we take the past indicative mátti, apply an i-shift (where á becomes æ), and add the weak subjunctive endings.
Why does uppfinninguna end in -una?
Feminine nouns ending in -ing, like uppfinning (invention), belong to a specific subgroup. Unlike regular strong feminine nouns, they take a -u ending in the accusative singular (uppfinningu). When we attach the accusative definite article (-na), it becomes uppfinninguna. It is in the accusative here because it's the direct object of the verb sjá.
What are the parts of the compound word rannsóknarstofunni?
It is built from rannsókn (research/investigation) + the genitive connector -ar + stofa (room/office) + -nni (the feminine dative definite article). Literally, it translates to "the research room" or laboratory.
Why is rannsóknarstofunni in the dative case here?
The preposition á takes the dative case when it describes a stationary location (where something currently is). If it described movement toward a destination, it would trigger the accusative case instead.
Learn Mætti ég sjá uppfinninguna á rannsóknarstofunni and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free