Breakdown of Versnar sjónin ef ég les í myrkrinu?
ég
I
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
lesa
to read
ef
if
myrkrið
the darkness
sjónin
the eyesight
versna
to worsen
Questions & Answers about Versnar sjónin ef ég les í myrkrinu?
How would I ask "How much does the eyesight worsen?" using the grammar from this lesson?
You would use hvað or hversu followed by the adverb mikið (much). For example, you could ask Hversu mikið versnar sjónin? or Hvað versnar sjónin mikið? to tie into this lesson's focus on asking "how" or "how much".
Why does the sentence start with the verb Versnar?
Because this is a yes/no question. In Icelandic, questions that can be answered with yes or no always put the main verb in the very first position, avoiding helper verbs like the English word "does".
The verb versnar means "worsens", but how is it related to the word for "bad"?
The adjective vondur (bad) has the comparative form verri (worse). The verb versna is formed from this comparative root and means "to get worse". It is a regular active verb, whereas English usually uses a phrase with "get" or "become".
Why do we say sjónin (the eyesight) instead of just sjón?
In Icelandic, general abilities, abstract concepts, and body parts often take the definite article where English leaves it out. Using sjónin refers to eyesight in general, or naturally points to the speaker's own eyesight in this context.
Why is it í myrkrinu and what case is used here?
The preposition í (in) triggers the dative case here because it describes a static state or location where the reading happens, rather than movement into a new place. The neuter noun myrkur (darkness) becomes myrkri in the dative, and adding the attached definite article gives us myrkrinu.
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