Breakdown of Þannig uppátæki eru of asnaleg til að prófa.
vera
to be
að
to (infinitive marker)
prófa
to try
til
to
of
too
þannig
like that, thus
asnalegur
silly
uppátækið
the stunt
Questions & Answers about Þannig uppátæki eru of asnaleg til að prófa.
Since uppátæki is plural here, why doesn't þannig have a plural ending?
Þannig (like that / such) is an invariable determiner. This means it never changes its spelling, no matter the gender, number, or case of the noun it describes.
Is there a difference between using þannig and svona in this sentence?
Both can translate to "such", but they have a subtle difference. Þannig usually points to something slightly more distant ("stunts like that"), while svona points to something closer ("stunts like this"). Because both are invariable, you could safely swap in svona here without changing any other grammar.
How do we know the noun uppátæki is plural in this sentence?
The neuter noun uppátæki (stunt / idea) looks exactly the same in both the singular and plural nominative forms. We know it is plural here because the verb is eru (are) instead of er (is), and the adjective is asnaleg instead of the singular asnalegt.
Why is the adjective asnaleg instead of asnalegir or asnalegt?
Adjectives must agree with their nouns. Because uppátæki is a neuter plural noun in the nominative case, the adjective takes the neuter plural form. For many adjectives, this means simply dropping the -t from the singular neuter form (asnalegt becomes asnaleg).
Why do we use til að prófa instead of just að prófa?
In Icelandic, the structure "too [adjective] to [do something]" requires the phrase til að (literally "in order to" or "for to") before the infinitive verb. You cannot just use að the way we use "to" in English here.
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