Breakdown of Mig dreymir oft um framtíðina.
oft
often
mig
me (acc)
um
about
framtíðin
the future
dreyma
to dream
Questions & Answers about Mig dreymir oft um framtíðina.
Why does this sentence start with the accusative Mig instead of the nominative Ég?
The verb dreyma (to dream) is one of several verbs related to the subconscious that take a quirky subject. This means the logical subject, the person experiencing the action, must be in the accusative case. In Icelandic, you don't actively do the dreaming; rather, the dreaming happens to you.
Since the logical subject is I, why is the verb dreymir rather than conjugated for the first person?
Because Mig is in the accusative case, it cannot control the verb's conjugation like a normal nominative subject does. When a sentence is driven by a quirky subject, the verb always defaults to the 3rd person singular form. That is why it uses dreymir (dreams) instead of a first-person form.
Why does the word framtíð (future) have the ending -ina in this sentence?
The preposition um (about) requires the noun that follows it to be in the accusative case. Framtíð is a feminine noun, and its accusative form is also framtíð. To say the future, you attach the feminine accusative definite article -ina, resulting in framtíðina.
Could I place the adverb oft (often) at the end of the sentence instead?
While people might occasionally stick time adverbs at the end, placing short adverbs like oft directly after the verb is the standard word order and sounds much more natural in Icelandic.
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