Breakdown of Stígðu hægt á bensíngjöfina og passaðu hraðann.
og
and
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
hægt
slowly
passa
to look after / to mind / watch out for
stíga
to step
bensíngjöfin
the gas pedal
hraðinn
the speed
Questions & Answers about Stígðu hægt á bensíngjöfina og passaðu hraðann.
How do we get the ending in stígðu, and why does it use -ðu instead of -du or -tu?
Stígðu is the command form (imperative) of stíga (to step) merged with the pronoun þú (you). When a verb stem ends in a voiced consonant like g, the attached pronoun becomes -ðu. So, stíg + þú becomes stígðu.
Is passaðu formed the same way as stígðu?
What does the compound word bensíngjöfina literally translate to?
It literally means "the gasoline gift" or "the gasoline giving"! It is made of bensín (gasoline) and gjöf (gift/giving), with the accusative definite article -ina attached at the end. It is the standard Icelandic word for a vehicle's gas pedal.
Why are both bensíngjöfina and hraðann in the accusative case?
Bensíngjöfina is in the accusative because of the preposition á. When stíga á implies motion (stepping onto something), á triggers the accusative. Hraðann (from the masculine noun hraði) is simply the direct object of the verb passa, which also requires the accusative.
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