Breakdown of Maðurinn í bláa búningnum ætlar að svíkja okkur.
maðurinn
the man
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
ætla
to intend
blár
blue
svíkja
to betray
búningurinn
the costume
Questions & Answers about Maðurinn í bláa búningnum ætlar að svíkja okkur.
Why is the subject maðurinn in the nominative case here, instead of a quirky accusative like we see with dreyma?
The verb ætla (to intend) describes a conscious, deliberate action, so it takes a standard subject in the nominative case. Quirky subjects in the accusative or dative are usually reserved for subconscious experiences or feelings, like dreaming (dreyma) or suspecting (gruna).
Why is búningnum in the dative case?
The preposition í (in) governs the dative case when it describes a stationary state, location, or condition, such as wearing a costume. It generally only takes the accusative when describing direct movement into something.
Why is the adjective blár (blue) written as bláa here?
Because the noun it modifies (búningnum) is definite, as shown by the attached article -num. When an adjective comes before a definite noun, it must use the weak declension. The weak dative masculine form of blár is bláa.
Does ætlar að always mean 'intends to'?
It translates directly to 'intend to' or 'plan to', but it is also the most common way to express the future tense in Icelandic, functioning almost exactly like 'going to' in English. This sentence could easily be translated as 'The man in the blue costume is going to betray us.'
What case is the pronoun okkur in here?
It is in the accusative case. The verb svíkja (to betray or deceive) takes an accusative object. Because the pronoun við (we) becomes okkur in both the accusative and dative cases, you have to look at the verb's rules to know which one it is!
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