Breakdown of Plönturnar þurfa vatn svo að ræturnar fái næringu.
vatnið
the water
þurfa
to need
fá
to get
plantan
the plant
svo að
so that
rótin
the root
næringin
the nutrition
Questions & Answers about Plönturnar þurfa vatn svo að ræturnar fái næringu.
Why is the verb fái used here instead of the normal present tense fá?
The phrase svo að ('so that') introduces a goal or purpose, which requires the subjunctive mood in Icelandic. fái is the present subjunctive form of fá (to get) for the third-person plural ('they'). If this were a simple statement of fact rather than a purpose, you would use the regular indicative form fá.
ræturnar means 'the roots'. How does it come from the singular word rót?
rót is a feminine noun with an irregular plural. The root vowel shifts from ó to æ, making the plural form rætur. When you add the feminine plural definite article suffix for 'the', it becomes ræturnar.
Why does the word for nutrition end in '-u' here (næringu)?
The verb fá (to get or receive) requires its object to be in the accusative case. The base word is næring, which is a feminine noun, and its accusative form takes the -u ending.
In everyday speech, do Icelanders always say the full svo að to mean 'so that'?
No, in casual spoken Icelandic, people very often drop the að and just use svo before the subjunctive verb. However, keeping the full svo að as in this sentence is the standard, grammatically complete way to clearly express purpose.
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