Breakdown of Ef vélmennið stjórnaði tímavélinni, myndu afleiðingarnar verða verri.
verða
to become; will be
ef
if
verri
worse
stjórna
to control
myndi
would (singular)
tímavélin
the time machine
vélmennið
the robot
afleiðingin
the consequence
Questions & Answers about Ef vélmennið stjórnaði tímavélinni, myndu afleiðingarnar verða verri.
Why is the verb stjórnaði in the past tense if this is a hypothetical situation about the present or future?
In Icelandic, just like in English, we use a past tense form to talk about unreal or hypothetical situations (like saying 'If I ruled the world'). Specifically, stjórnaði is in the past subjunctive mood. This tells us the condition isn't actually happening, it's just a 'what if' scenario.
Why does the second half of the sentence start with the verb myndu instead of the subject afleiðingarnar?
Why is the time machine translated as tímavélinni (dative) instead of tímavélina (accusative)?
The verb stjórna (to control or steer) requires its object to be in the dative case. Since tímavél (time machine) is a feminine noun with the definite article attached, it becomes tímavélinni in the dative.
Why do we use myndu here instead of myndi?
Myndu is the past subjunctive form of the helper verb munu (will/would). Because the subject of this clause is afleiðingarnar (the consequences), which is plural, the verb must also be plural. If the subject were singular, you would use the singular form myndi.
How does the word verri (worse) match the rest of the sentence?
Verri is the comparative form of the adjective for 'bad'. Because it describes afleiðingarnar, which is a feminine plural noun in the nominative case, the adjective must match it. Conveniently, verri is the form used for all genders in the plural when comparing things.
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