Breakdown of Bóndinn heldur áfram að uppskera akurinn.
að
to (infinitive marker)
halda áfram
to continue, keep going (halda áfram)
bóndinn
the farmer
uppskera
to harvest
Questions & Answers about Bóndinn heldur áfram að uppskera akurinn.
How does the continuative structure halda áfram að work in this sentence?
This phrase literally translates to "hold forwards to" but means "to continue" or "to keep doing." In this structure, only the verb halda is conjugated to match the subject (bóndinn heldur). The words áfram að stay fixed and are followed directly by a verb in the infinitive, which is uppskera (to harvest) here.
Why does the verb halda become heldur?
Halda (to hold/keep) is a strong verb that undergoes a vowel shift in the singular present tense. The vowel a shifts to e, giving us the forms ég held, þú heldur, and hann/hún/það heldur.
I've seen uppskera used as a noun. How do we know it's a verb here?
You are right that uppskera is also a feminine noun meaning "a harvest" or "a crop." Here, we know it is a verb because it comes immediately after the infinitive marker að. The phrase að uppskera means "to harvest."
Akurinn is the direct object of the harvesting, so why does it look like it's in the nominative case?