Breakdown of Við þurfum að finna góðan klæðskera.
góður
good
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
finna
to find
þurfa
to need
klæðskerinn
the tailor
Questions & Answers about Við þurfum að finna góðan klæðskera.
Why do we use the endings -an and -a in góðan klæðskera?
This phrase is the direct object of the verb finna (to find), so it must be in the accusative case. The dictionary form for tailor is klæðskeri, which is masculine. Therefore, the adjective góður (good) takes the masculine accusative singular ending -an, becoming góðan.
Why does the noun klæðskeri change to klæðskera here?
Klæðskeri is a weak masculine noun, meaning it ends in a vowel in its dictionary form. For weak masculine nouns, the accusative, dative, and genitive singular forms all end in -a. Since it's the direct object here, it takes the accusative -a ending.
Why do we need the word að before finna?
The verb þurfa (to need / have to) is followed by an infinitive verb. Just like in English where we say need to find, Icelandic uses the infinitive marker að before the second verb: þurfa að finna.
Since this lesson is about having someone else do a task (using fá), why isn't fá used here?
Because in this specific sentence, the subject (við) is directly doing the action of finding. You only use the fá + object + past participle structure when you are getting someone else to do the work for you (like getting a suit altered by the tailor). Here, we just need to find the tailor first!
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