Questions & Answers about Sjónprófið er ekki erfitt ef þú getur lesið stafina.
How would I ask "How difficult is the vision test?" using the grammar from this lesson?
You can use either Hvað or Hversu. If you use Hversu, the adjective normally follows it directly: Hversu erfitt er sjónprófið? If you use Hvað, the adjective usually stays at the end: Hvað er sjónprófið erfitt? In both, erfitt stays in the neuter form to agree with sjónprófið.
Why is the adjective erfitt used here instead of erfiður?
Adjectives in Icelandic must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. The noun here is sjónprófið (the vision test). Since próf is a neuter noun, the adjective must take the neuter nominative form, which is erfitt.
Why does the sentence use lesið instead of the infinitive lesa after the verb getur?
The verb geta (to be able to / can) is unique in Icelandic. Unlike other helper verbs that take an infinitive, geta always requires the following verb to be in the supine form (sagnbót), which often looks like the neuter past participle. For the verb lesa, that form is lesið.
What is the root word for stafina and why is it in this specific form?