Breakdown of Ég myndi vissulega hafa séð eftir vandræðalega samtalinu.
ég
I
hafa
to have
samtalið
the conversation
munu
will
vissulega
certainly
sjá eftir
to regret
vandræðalegur
awkward
Questions & Answers about Ég myndi vissulega hafa séð eftir vandræðalega samtalinu.
How is the past hypothetical possibility formed in this sentence?
To express 'would have done' in Icelandic, we use the conditional form of munu (which is myndi here), followed by the infinitive hafa (to have), and finally the supine form of the main verb. In this sentence, that gives us myndi ... hafa séð (would have seen).
Why does the adverb vissulega sit between myndi and hafa?
In Icelandic main clauses, the finite (conjugated) verb takes the second position. Sentence adverbs like vissulega (certainly) typically go immediately after that finite verb. Since myndi is the conjugated verb here, vissulega steps in right after it, separating it from the rest of the verbal cluster (hafa séð).
Why is the object vandræðalega samtalinu in the dative case?
This is dictated by the phrasal verb sjá eftir. While it literally translates to 'see after', it means 'to regret' (or 'to miss') and strictly requires its object to take the dative case.
Why do we use the adjective form vandræðalega instead of the strong dative neuter form vandræðalegu?
Because the neuter noun has the definite article suffix attached (samtalinu, meaning 'the conversation'), any preceding adjective must use the weak declension. For a neuter noun in the dative case, the weak adjective ending is '-a', giving us vandræðalega. If it were an indefinite 'awkward conversation', you would use the strong dative neuter form: sjá eftir vandræðalegu samtali.
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