Breakdown of Ég tek kíkinn minn um leið og ég sé eitthvað skuggalegt.
ég
I
sjá
to see
minn
my (m, f, n: minn, mín, mitt)
taka
to take
eitthvað
something
um leið og
as soon as
kíkirinn
the binoculars
skuggalegur
shady
Questions & Answers about Ég tek kíkinn minn um leið og ég sé eitthvað skuggalegt.
Why does this sentence use ég sé instead of mér sýnist, which we are learning in this lesson?
Ég sé means you physically see something with your own eyes, which fits the physical action of grabbing binoculars. The middle-voice verb mér sýnist means "it appears to me" or "it seems to me" and is used when you are interpreting or guessing about a situation rather than just stating a direct visual observation.
How does um leið og translate to "as soon as"?
Literally, um leið og translates to "around the way and", but it is a very common fixed phrase in Icelandic that means "as soon as" or "at the same time as". It is used as a conjunction to connect two actions that happen back-to-back.
Why does the word for shady end in -t (skuggalegt)?
It is an adjective modifying the pronoun eitthvað (something). The word eitthvað is grammatically neuter, so any adjective attached to it must also be in its neuter form. For most adjectives, including this one, that means adding a -t to the end.
What is the base dictionary form of the word for binoculars (kíkinn)?
The base form is kíkir, which is a masculine noun. Because it is the direct object of the verb taka (to take), it takes the accusative case. The accusative form is kíki, and when you add the attached definite article for "the", it becomes kíkinn.
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