Breakdown of Sósan er svo sterk að augun tárast.
vera
to be
að
that (conjunction)
sósan
the sauce
sterkur
strong / spicy, hot (of food)
augað
the eye
svo
so (to such a degree)
tárast
to tear up
Questions & Answers about Sósan er svo sterk að augun tárast.
How does the result clause work in this sentence?
This sentence uses the exact structure from our current lesson: svo (so) + adjective (sterk) + að (that) + a full clause (augun tárast). It works exactly like the English 'so [adjective] that...' pattern.
Doesn't sterk usually mean strong?
Yes, but when talking about food, sterkur is the standard word for spicy. If you used the word for hot (heitur), Icelanders would think you meant the physical temperature of the sauce, not the spice level.
Why does the verb tárast end in -st?
This is the middle voice form of the verb. Adding -st turns the action into something happening automatically to the subject. Instead of an active 'shedding tears', it means the eyes naturally 'water' or 'tear up'.
Why is it augun instead of just augu?
augun is the definite plural form of the neuter noun auga (eye), meaning 'the eyes'. Remember that Icelandic often uses the definite article for body parts in situations where English would use a possessive pronoun like 'my' or 'our'.
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