Breakdown of Við myndum láta sérsmíða skápinn til að spara pláss.
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
skápurinn
the cabinet
láta
to let
til
to
plássið
the space
spara
to save (money, resources)
myndu
would (plural)
sérsmíða
to custom-build
Questions & Answers about Við myndum láta sérsmíða skápinn til að spara pláss.
The lesson topic calls this a 'passive infinitive', so why doesn't sérsmíða end in the passive -st suffix?
In Icelandic causative constructions with láta, the infinitive verb stays in its standard active form even though the meaning is passive. You do not add the -st suffix. The verb láta combined with the object does all the work to give it the meaning of 'having something done'.
Does láta force skápinn to be in the accusative case?
No, the case is actually determined by the infinitive verb that follows. Because sérsmíða (to custom-build) takes an accusative object, skápinn (the cabinet) is in the accusative. If the infinitive were a verb that governs the dative case, the object would be in the dative.
Could we drop láta and just say 'Við myndum sérsmíða skápinn'?
If you drop láta, the sentence becomes active: 'We would custom-build the cabinet' (meaning you are doing the carpentry yourselves). Using láta + infinitive is essential here to express that you are paying or arranging for someone else to do the work.
How does the word sérsmíða break down?
Why is myndum used here to mean 'would'?
Myndum is the first-person plural past subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb munu (will). In Icelandic, using the past subjunctive of munu is the standard way to form the conditional tense, showing that this is a hypothetical plan.
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