Breakdown of Ég byggi gróðurhúsið svo að ég geti verndað viðkvæmu plönturnar.
ég
I
byggja
to build
geta
to be able to
plantan
the plant
gróðurhúsið
the greenhouse
svo að
so that
vernda
to protect (generally) / to defend
viðkvæmur
delicate
Questions & Answers about Ég byggi gróðurhúsið svo að ég geti verndað viðkvæmu plönturnar.
Why is the verb geti used here instead of the normal get?
The conjunction svo að (so that / in order to) expresses a purpose or a goal, rather than an objective fact. In Icelandic, purpose clauses require the subjunctive mood. The word geti is the present subjunctive form of geta for the pronoun ég.
Is it possible to just say svo instead of svo að?
In strict grammar, you should keep the að. Using just svo translates to 'so' or 'therefore', which introduces a factual result and takes the regular indicative mood. Using svo að clearly means 'in order to' and sets up the subjunctive purpose clause.
Why is the verb verndað in this form instead of the infinitive að vernda?
Unlike English, which pairs 'can' with an infinitive ('can protect'), the Icelandic verb geta always requires the following verb to be in the supine form (the sagnbót). This is the exact same verb form you use after the verb 'to have'. The supine form of vernda is verndað.
Why does the adjective viðkvæmu end in -u rather than matching the plural ending of the noun?
Because the noun it modifies, plönturnar (the plants), has the definite article attached to the end. Whenever an adjective is paired with a definite noun, it must take the weak declension. In the weak declension, all plural adjectives end in -u, regardless of their gender or grammatical case.
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