Breakdown of Ekki láta eins og kjáni!
ekki
not
eins og
as / like / as if
láta eins og
to act (like)
kjáninn
the fool
Questions & Answers about Ekki láta eins og kjáni!
Why use the infinitive láta here instead of an imperative command form?
In Icelandic, negative commands are formed using ekki followed by the infinitive of the verb. Even though it is a command, you don't use the imperative form; you just use ekki plus the dictionary form láta.
I learned that láta means 'to let' or 'to put.' Why does it mean 'act' here?
While láta normally means 'to let' or 'to make someone do something,' when it is paired with eins og (like/as), the combination láta eins og becomes a fixed phrase meaning 'to act like' or 'to behave as if.'
Why is the noun kjáni in the nominative case? Doesn't a preposition usually force another case?
That is the tricky part about eins og! It functions as a conjunction here, not a preposition, meaning it links two things in the exact same case. Since the implied subject ('you') is nominative, the thing you are being compared to (kjáni) also stays in the nominative. It is essentially short for 'Don't act like a fool [acts].'
Could I use a full sentence after eins og here, or just a single noun?
You can use either! In this sentence, it is followed by a simple noun (kjáni). But because láta eins og means 'to act as if,' you can also follow it with a subordinate clause. For example: Ekki láta eins og þú vitir það ekki (Don't act as if you don't know it).
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