Breakdown of Hverju stjórnar undirmeðvitundin?
hvað
what
stjórna
to control
undirmeðvitundin
the subconscious
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Questions & Answers about Hverju stjórnar undirmeðvitundin?
Why is "what" translated as hverju here instead of the basic word hvað?
The form of the question word depends on the verb in the sentence. The verb stjórna (to control) rules the dative case, meaning its object must be in the dative. Because we are asking "what" is being controlled, the word for "what" takes the dative neuter form, which is hverju.
Since the lesson is about hver and hvað, how do I know hverju means "what" and not "who"?
The words for "who" (hver) and "what" (hvað) share similar declension patterns, but they are slightly different in the dative case. The dative form for "who" is hverjum, while the dative for "what" is hverju. Therefore, hverju always means "to/for what".
Why is the subject undirmeðvitundin at the end of the sentence instead of before the verb?
Icelandic strictly follows the V2 (verb-second) rule, even in questions. Because the question word hverju occupies the first position, the verb stjórnar must immediately follow it. This pushes the subject undirmeðvitundin into the third position.
How do you break down a long word like undirmeðvitundin?
It is a compound of undir (under or sub) and meðvitund (consciousness). At the very end is the attached feminine definite article -in, making it "the subconscious". Breaking long Icelandic nouns into their smaller parts makes them much easier to read!