Breakdown of Geturðu fengið hana til að skila drögunum fyrir skilafrestinn?
þú
you
hún
she
að
to (infinitive marker)
fá
to get
til
to
skila
to hand in
geta
to be able to
fyrir
before (time)
skilafresturinn
the deadline
drögin
the draft
Questions & Answers about Geturðu fengið hana til að skila drögunum fyrir skilafrestinn?
How does the causative construction work with the cases in this sentence?
The verb fá takes the person being persuaded in the accusative case, which is why we use hana. The action they are persuaded to do follows directly as til að plus the infinitive verb skila.
Why is the word for the draft in the form drögunum?
The verb skila (to return or submit) always requires its object to be in the dative case. Additionally, the noun drög is a neuter word that is only used in the plural. Therefore, drögunum is the dative plural definite form, and the causative structure doesn't override the case required by skila.
Why is the verb for get/persuade in the form fengið instead of fá?
This happens because of the modal verb geta (can), which is part of the merged word geturðu (getur þú). In Icelandic, geta always forces the following verb into the supine form (sagnbót), which is fengið here.
Why does the preposition fyrir trigger the accusative case in skilafrestinn?
When fyrir is used to refer to time, specifically meaning "before" a deadline or event, it governs the accusative case. Since skilafrestur is a masculine noun, its accusative definite form becomes skilafrestinn.
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