Breakdown of Gestgjafinn hefur beðið þjóninn um að setja dúkinn á borðið.
borðið
the table
að
to (infinitive marker)
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
setja
to put
hafa
to have
þjónninn
the waiter
biðja
to ask for (biðja um)
gestgjafinn
the host
dúkurinn
the tablecloth
Questions & Answers about Gestgjafinn hefur beðið þjóninn um að setja dúkinn á borðið.
Why is "um að" used here instead of just "að setja"?
The verb biðja (to ask/request) pairs with the preposition um when you are asking for something. When you ask someone to perform an action, the structure is biðja + the person asked + um að + the infinitive verb. In this sentence, that creates the pattern beðið þjóninn um að setja (asked the waiter to put).
Why is the waiter "þjóninn" in the accusative case? Don't verbs of speaking usually take a dative object?
Where does the verb form "beðið" come from?
It is the supine form of the verb biðja (to ask). You use the supine form after the helping verb hafa (to have) to create the perfect tense. Because biðja is an irregular verb, its vowel changes, giving us hefur beðið (has asked).
Why is "borðið" (the table) in the accusative case here? Doesn't the preposition "á" often take the dative?
The preposition á takes the accusative case when it describes movement or an action directed toward a destination. Because the waiter is actively moving the tablecloth onto the table, it triggers the accusative borðið. If the tablecloth were already resting stationary on the table, it would take the dative case (á borðinu).
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