Breakdown of Ef vélmennið færi í svartholið, myndi það hverfa.
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
fara
to go
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
ef
if
myndi
would (singular)
vélmennið
the robot
svartholið
the black hole
hverfa
to disappear
Questions & Answers about Ef vélmennið færi í svartholið, myndi það hverfa.
Why is færi used here instead of the regular past tense fór?
This sentence is a hypothetical conditional, meaning it describes an imaginary or unlikely situation. After ef (if) in these types of sentences, we use the past subjunctive form of the verb, which is færi for fara (to go).
Why does the second half of the sentence start with myndi það instead of það myndi?
What is the function of myndi in this sentence?
myndi is the past subjunctive of munu (will). In hypothetical scenarios, it is used in the main clause to mean "would". Just like in English, it is paired with the main verb in its infinitive (dictionary) form, which is hverfa (disappear).
Why is svartholið (the black hole) in the accusative case here?
The preposition í (in/into) takes the accusative case when it describes movement toward a destination. Because the robot is actively moving into the black hole, we use the accusative. If the robot were already resting inside it, we would use the dative case (í svartholinu).
What makes up the word vélmennið?
vélmenni is a compound word made of vél (machine) and menni (human/person), so a robot is literally a "machine-human." The -ð at the end is the neuter definite article, making it "the" robot. Because it is a neuter noun, the sentence later uses the neuter pronoun það (it) to refer back to it.
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