Breakdown of Prentum kynningarefnið strax!
strax
right away
prenta
to print
kynningarefnið
the promotional material
Questions & Answers about Prentum kynningarefnið strax!
How does Prentum mean "Let's print" when there is no word for "let's" or "we" in the sentence?
In Icelandic, you can create a "Let's..." suggestion simply by putting a verb in its "we" form (1st person plural) at the very beginning of the sentence. Because prentum (we print) is in this first position, it acts as a command or suggestion for the group. Notice that you also drop the pronoun við (we) when using this structure.
If I wanted to use the við skulum method from this lesson instead, how would the sentence change?
You would say Við skulum prenta kynningarefnið strax! When you use við skulum (we shall / let's), the main verb must change from the conjugated "we" form back to its dictionary form (the bare infinitive), which is prenta.
How is the long word kynningarefnið put together?
It is a compound noun. It combines kynning (introduction, presentation, or promotion) and efnið (the material). The -ar- in the middle is the genitive (possessive) ending of kynning. It acts as "glue" to link the two words together, literally meaning "the material of promotion".
Why doesn't the ending of kynningarefnið change, since it is the direct object being printed?
It actually is in the accusative case here because it is the direct object! However, efni is a neuter noun. A helpful rule to remember is that neuter nouns always look exactly the same in the accusative case as they do in the nominative case, even with the definite article attached (-ð).
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