Breakdown of Vinnuvistfræðin kennir okkur að teygja hendurnar oft.
oft
often
að
to (infinitive marker)
okkur
us
kenna
to teach
höndin
the hand
vinnuvistfræðin
the ergonomics
teygja
to stretch
Questions & Answers about Vinnuvistfræðin kennir okkur að teygja hendurnar oft.
The singular word for hand is hönd. Why does it change to hendur in the plural here?
The word hönd is an irregular root noun. Instead of just adding a standard plural ending, its main vowel changes from ö to e in the plural. This vowel shift is an example of i-umlaut. Therefore, the plural of hönd is hendur. When you attach the accusative plural definite article, it becomes hendurnar.
We know okkur can be either accusative or dative. Which case is it here, and why?
Here it is in the dative case. The verb kenna (to teach) requires the dative case for the person who is receiving the teaching. The thing being taught (in this sentence, the action að teygja) acts as the direct object.
What case is hendurnar and what is causing it?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb teygja (to stretch). The accusative plural form of this feminine root noun is hendur, and adding the definite article for plural accusative gives us hendurnar.
How does a long compound word like vinnuvistfræðin translate to ergonomics?
It is built from three distinct parts: vinnu (from vinna, meaning work), vist (meaning environment, ecology, or stay), and fræði (meaning science or study), plus the definite article -n at the very end. Literally, it translates to the science of the work environment.
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