Breakdown of Af hverju geltir ofvirki hundurinn svona mikið?
hundurinn
the dog
mikið
a lot
af hverju
why
svona
so, like this
gelta
to bark
ofvirkur
hyperactive
Questions & Answers about Af hverju geltir ofvirki hundurinn svona mikið?
The current lesson is about using of to mean 'too'. Why doesn't this sentence use til (þess) að after ofvirki?
While of means 'too' in this lesson's main grammar pattern, it also acts as a prefix meaning 'over-' or 'hyper-'. The word ofvirki is simply a compound adjective meaning 'hyperactive' (over-active). Because it is just describing the dog and not setting up a 'too [adjective] to [do something]' scenario, it doesn't trigger the til að construction.
Why does the adjective end in -i (ofvirki) instead of the basic masculine ending -ur (ofvirkur)?
Because the noun has the definite article attached to it (hundurinn means 'the dog', not just 'a dog'). Whenever a noun is definite, the adjective in front of it must take the weak declension. For a masculine noun in the nominative (subject) case, the weak ending is -i.
What is the difference between svona mikið and of mikið?
The phrase svona mikið translates exactly to 'so much' or 'this much'. If you wanted to say that the dog barks 'too much', which connects perfectly to this lesson's theme of excess, you would replace it with of mikið.
Is af hverju the only way to ask 'why' in Icelandic?
It is the most common everyday way, literally translating to 'from what'. You will also frequently see and hear hvers vegna, which means the exact same thing but sounds slightly more formal.
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