Breakdown of Dóttir mín byrjar í framhaldsskóla í haust.
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
byrja
to start
minn
my (m, f, n: minn, mín, mitt)
dóttirin
the daughter
Questions & Answers about Dóttir mín byrjar í framhaldsskóla í haust.
Why is it Dóttir mín instead of Mín dóttir?
In Icelandic, possessive pronouns like mín (my) usually come after the noun. Placing the pronoun before the noun places heavy emphasis on it, as in "MY daughter, not yours." For family members, the noun-first order (dóttir mín) is the standard, everyday way to express it.
What exactly is a framhaldsskóli?
It translates literally to "continuation school" (framhald means "continuation" and skóli means "school"). In the Icelandic education system, this is the upper secondary school (similar to high school or sixth form) that students typically attend from ages 16 to 20, right after they finish mandatory grade school.
The preposition í appears twice here. What case does it trigger in each instance?
In í framhaldsskóla, í takes the dative case because it describes being enrolled in or attending an institution, acting like a fixed location. In í haust, í takes the accusative case. When used with seasons, í + accusative means "this coming [season]." Because haust is a neuter noun, its accusative form looks exactly like its dictionary form.
Why is the present tense verb byrjar used when the action happens in the future?
Just like in English ("My daughter starts school this autumn"), Icelandic frequently uses the simple present tense to talk about scheduled or certain future events. You don't need a future auxiliary verb here, because the time phrase í haust already makes the future context completely clear.