Breakdown of Við sjáum konuna opna skjalatöskuna, af því að við njósnum um hana.
hún
she
konan
the woman
við
we
sjá
to see
opna
to open
um
about
af því að
because
skjalataskan
the briefcase
njósna
to spy
Questions & Answers about Við sjáum konuna opna skjalatöskuna, af því að við njósnum um hana.
Why is konuna in the accusative case here?
This is the core of the Accusative with Infinitive construction. When using a perception verb like sjá (to see), the person or thing being observed goes into the accusative case. Here, konan (the woman) becomes konuna because she is the object of what we see, even though she is the one doing the opening.
Why is there no að before the verb opna?
Just like in English, Icelandic verbs of perception (like seeing and hearing) take a bare infinitive. We say 'We see the woman open...' rather than 'to open'. Because of this, you drop the infinitive marker að and just use the plain infinitive opna.
Is skjalatöskuna in the accusative case because of the verb sjá as well?
No, skjalatöskuna (the briefcase) is in the accusative because it is the direct object of the verb opna (to open). The perception verb sjá only affects the case of konuna.
Why do we use hana at the end of the sentence?
The verb njósna (to spy) is paired with the preposition um (on/about). In Icelandic, the preposition um always takes the accusative case. Therefore, the pronoun hún (she) changes to its accusative form, hana.
Do I always need all three words in af því að to say 'because'?
Yes, af því að is a fixed phrase and the most common way to say 'because' in Icelandic. All three words work together as a single conjunction to connect the two halves of your sentence.
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