Breakdown of Bróðir minn lætur oft bóna nýja bílinn sinn.
bíllinn
the car
nýr
new
oft
often
bróðirinn
the brother
minn
my (m, f, n: minn, mín, mitt)
láta
to let
sinn
his/her/their own (sinn, sína, sitt)
bóna
to wax
Questions & Answers about Bróðir minn lætur oft bóna nýja bílinn sinn.
Why is bóna in the active infinitive form when the English translation uses the passive "waxed"?
In Icelandic, the causative passive is built using láta (here as lætur) plus the active infinitive form of the main action verb. The sentence literally translates to "lets/has [someone] wax his new car." Because the person doing the waxing is left out, it creates a passive meaning.
Is nýja bílinn sinn the accusative object of lætur or of bóna?
It is the direct object of the infinitive bóna (to wax). In this causative construction, láta essentially takes the entire following phrase as the action being caused. Since bóna governs the accusative case, the car and its modifiers are in the accusative.
Why do we use the reflexive pronoun sinn here instead of hans?
sinn refers back to the grammatical subject of the sentence, which is Bróðir minn. If you used hans (his), it would mean that your brother is having some other man's car waxed, rather than his own.
Why is the adjective nýja used here instead of the standard accusative masculine nýjan?
Because the noun has the attached definite article (bílinn), any adjective modifying it must use the "weak" declension. For a masculine accusative singular noun, the weak form is nýja. If the car were indefinite, you would use the strong form: bóna nýjan bíl.
Why is the adverb oft placed between the two verbs?
In Icelandic main clauses, mid-sentence adverbs like oft (often) typically go immediately after the finite (conjugated) verb, which in this case is lætur. This naturally places it right before the infinitive verb bóna.
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