Breakdown of Eiga þau að taka fjögurra mínútna pásu í þriggja tíma kennslustundinni?
þau
they (n)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
þrír
three
fjórir
four
mínútan
the minute (f)
tíminn
the time / the class (m) / the hour
taka
to take
eiga að
to be supposed to
pásan
the break
kennslustundin
the lesson
Questions & Answers about Eiga þau að taka fjögurra mínútna pásu í þriggja tíma kennslustundinni?
Why do we use the forms fjögurra and þriggja here instead of fjórar and þrír?
These are the genitive forms of the numbers four and three. In Icelandic, when you describe the measurement, age, or duration of something as an adjective phrase, you use the genitive case. You are literally saying 'a break of four minutes' (fjögurra mínútna pása) and 'a lesson of three hours' (þriggja tíma kennslustund).
Why are mínútna and tíma also in the genitive case?
Numbers must agree in case with the noun they are counting. Since the sentence structure requires the genitive case to describe the length of the break and the lesson, both the number and the unit of time it counts must be in the genitive plural. Therefore, mínútna is the genitive plural of mínúta (minute), and tíma is the genitive plural of tími (hour).
Why is the word kennslustundinni in the dative case here?
The preposition í governs the dative case when it describes a static situation or location, such as being temporally 'inside' an event. Since the break takes place within the ongoing lesson, there is no abstract motion into a new state, so í triggers the dative definite form kennslustundinni.
Why is the verb eiga used here if they aren't 'owning' anything?
When the verb eiga (which normally means 'to own' or 'to have') is combined with the word að and an infinitive verb like taka, it forms a very common phrase meaning 'to be supposed to', 'should', or 'to have to'. So Eiga þau að taka translates to 'Are they supposed to take'.
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