Breakdown of Maður hefur ekki örvænt síðan rigningin byrjaði á eyðieyjunni.
ekki
not
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
byrja
to start
rigningin
the rain (f)
hafa
to have
maður
one (impersonal pronoun)
eyðieyjan
the desert island
síðan
since (from the time when)
örvænta
to despair
Questions & Answers about Maður hefur ekki örvænt síðan rigningin byrjaði á eyðieyjunni.
Why is the main clause in the present perfect (hefur ekki örvænt) but the clause after síðan is in the simple past (byrjaði)?
Just like in English, when síðan (since) connects an ongoing state to a specific starting point, the main clause uses the present perfect (has not despaired) while the síðan clause uses the simple past (started) to pinpoint the exact moment the action began.
Does maður refer to a specific man here?
Literally it means man, but here it acts as an indefinite pronoun meaning one or a generic you. It is very common in Icelandic to use maður to talk about people in general, or even to refer to oneself in a relatable way.
What is the infinitive form of the verb örvænt?
The infinitive is að örvænta (to despair). After the auxiliary verb hefur, it takes the supine form (used to form perfect tenses). Because the root ends in a dental sound, the supine simply drops the infinitive -a ending instead of adding an extra -t or -ð, becoming örvænt.
How does the word eyðieyjunni break down?
It is a compound of eyði (desert, wasteland, or desolate) and eyjunni (the island). Eyjunni is the dative, definite form of the feminine noun eyja, which is triggered here by the preposition á because it indicates a stationary location.
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