Breakdown of Ég loka glugganum í gróðurhúsinu svo að hitastigið sé gott og blómin blómstri.
vera
to be
og
and
ég
I
góður
good
glugginn
the window
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
blómið
the flower
loka
to close (+ Dative) / to close (shop/counter shuts)
gróðurhúsið
the greenhouse
svo að
so that
hitastigið
the temperature (measured in degrees)
blómstra
to bloom
Questions & Answers about Ég loka glugganum í gróðurhúsinu svo að hitastigið sé gott og blómin blómstri.
Why are the verbs sé and blómstri used here instead of the regular present tense?
The phrase svo að (so that) expresses a goal or purpose, which requires the subjunctive mood in Icelandic. Instead of the regular indicative er (is) and blómstra (bloom), we use the present subjunctive forms sé and blómstri to show that this is the intended outcome, not just a statement of fact.
Why is glugganum in the dative case?
The verb loka (to close) always forces its object to be in the dative case. Even though the window is the direct object being closed, it must take the dative definite form glugganum rather than the accusative.
How is the present subjunctive formed for the verb blómstra?
For most regular verbs that end in -a in the infinitive, like blómstra, the present subjunctive is formed by changing that ending to -i. This means the subjunctive form becomes blómstri across all persons, including the third-person plural used here for the flowers.
Can the word að be dropped from svo að in this sentence?
Yes, in everyday spoken Icelandic, the að is very often dropped, leaving just svo. However, because the sentence still expresses a purpose, the verbs that follow it must remain in the subjunctive mood even if að is omitted.
Why does hitastigið sé gott use the neuter form gott?
The adjective gott (good) must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it describes. Hitastigið (the temperature) is a neuter noun in the nominative singular, so the adjective takes the matching neuter singular form gott.
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