Breakdown of Þú verður að sýna skilríkið nema þú sért þrjátíu ára.
vera
to be
þú
you
að
to (infinitive marker)
sýna
to show
verða
to become; will be
þrjátíu
thirty
ára
years old
nema
except, unless
skilríkið
the ID
Questions & Answers about Þú verður að sýna skilríkið nema þú sért þrjátíu ára.
Why do we use sért instead of ert after nema?
This is the main rule for this lesson! When the conjunction nema means "unless", it forces the verb that follows it into the subjunctive mood. sért is the present subjunctive form of vera (to be) for the pronoun þú.
Could I use átt að or hlýtur að instead of verður að for "must"?
verður að is the correct choice here because it expresses a strict rule or obligation ("have to"). átt að is softer, meaning "you are supposed to", while hlýtur að means "must" in the sense of a logical deduction (like "you must be tired"), not a requirement.
Why is the word for "years" (ára) in the genitive case?
Why does the definite article on skilríkið (the ID) only add -ð instead of -ið?
The base word is skilríki (ID/credential), which is a neuter noun. When a neuter noun already ends in a vowel, you just attach -ð to make it definite, which prevents an awkward double vowel.
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