Breakdown of Mig vantar pláss af því að ég treð draslinu í skápinn.
ég
I
mig
me (acc)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
skápurinn
the cabinet
af því að
because
plássið
the space
vanta
to need (to lack)
draslið
the junk
troða
to stuff
Questions & Answers about Mig vantar pláss af því að ég treð draslinu í skápinn.
Why is draslinu in the dative case here?
The verb troða (to stuff, cram, or tread) is acting as a verb of manipulation here. Just like verbs for throwing or moving things (henda, lyfta), when you physically move or "stuff" an object somewhere, that object takes the dative case. Therefore, drasl (junk) becomes draslinu (the junk) in the dative.
If draslinu is dative, why does í skápinn use the accusative case?
The preposition í (in/into) takes the accusative case when it describes movement or direction toward a destination. Because you are stuffing the junk into the cupboard, skápinn (the cupboard) is in the accusative. If the junk were already resting stationary inside the cupboard, you would use the dative (í skápnum).
Why does the sentence start with Mig vantar instead of Ég vanta?
Vanta (to lack or need) is an impersonal verb that requires its logical subject to be in the accusative case. Instead of using the nominative ég, you must use the accusative mig. You can think of it literally as "It lacks me space."
Why does the vowel change from "o" in troða to "e" in ég treð?
This is a vowel shift (specifically, an i-shift) that happens in the present tense singular of many strong Icelandic verbs. The "o" in the infinitive troða changes to "e" for the singular pronouns (ég treð, þú treður, hann treður), but reverts to "o" in the plural (við troðum).
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