Questions & Answers about Sérðu baksýnisspegilinn?
Why is the word sérðu instead of sérð þú?
In spoken Icelandic and everyday writing, the pronoun þú (you) often attaches to the end of the verb in questions and commands. The verb form for 'you see' is sérð. When þú attaches to it, the words merge into the single word sérðu.
Why does this verb take the -ðu ending rather than -du or -tu?
The ending you use depends on the final letter of the conjugated verb. Since the 'you' form of the verb is sérð, it already ends in a ð. The þ from þú merges with that existing ð, resulting in sérðu.
How does a long word like baksýnisspegilinn break down?
It is a compound word made of three distinct parts: bak (back), sýn (sight or vision), and spegilinn (the mirror). The -is- in the middle is a genitive (possessive) ending that links the concepts together, making it literally the 'mirror of back-sight'.
Why is the ending of the noun spelled spegilinn with one L, rather than spegillinn?
The verb sjá (to see) requires its object to be in the accusative case. The basic dictionary word for 'mirror' is spegill (ending with double L). In the accusative case, masculine words ending in -ll drop an L, becoming spegil. Finally, adding the attached definite article for 'the' gives us spegilinn.
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