Breakdown of Ef landkönnuðurinn kæmi ekki með sleðanum, fyndi hann aldrei birgðirnar.
hann
he
ekki
not
koma
to come
finna
to find
aldrei
never
með
with
ef
if
sleðinn
the sled
landkönnuðurinn
the explorer
birgðirnar
the supplies
Questions & Answers about Ef landkönnuðurinn kæmi ekki með sleðanum, fyndi hann aldrei birgðirnar.
How do we get the form fyndi from the verb finna (to find)?
Fyndi is the past subjunctive form. For strong verbs like finna, you build the past subjunctive by taking the past plural form (fundum - we found) and applying an i-umlaut vowel shift. The u changes to y, and we add the subjunctive endings, giving us fyndi for the third person singular.
Why does koma change to kæmi in the past subjunctive?
Just like finna, the verb koma (to come) is a strong verb. You build its past subjunctive from its past plural form komum (we came). The vowel shifts from an o to an æ. When you add the past subjunctive ending, you get kæmi.
Why does the second part of the sentence start with the verb fyndi instead of the subject hann?
Why is sleðanum in the dative case here?
The preposition með takes the dative case when it means being together with someone, or when describing using something as a tool or transport. Since the explorer is traveling with the sled, the masculine noun sleði becomes sleðanum (dative, definite).
What is the base form of birgðirnar?
The base form is birgðir (supplies), which is a feminine noun almost exclusively used in the plural. Here it has the plural definite article attached in the accusative case, making it birgðirnar, because it is the direct object of what the explorer would find.
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