Breakdown of Saksóknarinn efast um að nokkur viðurkenni allan glæpinn.
um
about
að
that (conjunction)
allur
all / everything / everyone
glæpurinn
the crime
nokkur
anybody / any
saksóknarinn
the prosecutor
efast
to doubt
viðurkenna
to admit
Questions & Answers about Saksóknarinn efast um að nokkur viðurkenni allan glæpinn.
Why is viðurkenni in the subjunctive form rather than the indicative viðurkennir?
The verb efast (to doubt) expresses uncertainty. In Icelandic, verbs of doubt and denial like efast um að or neita því að require the verb in the following clause to be in the subjunctive mood. Here, viðurkenni is the present subjunctive of viðurkenna.
Why does the sentence use nokkur for "anyone" instead of einhver?
While einhver usually means "someone" or "anyone", Icelandic shifts to using nokkur in contexts involving negation, questions, or strong doubt. Because the prosecutor is doubting that the confession will happen, the negative polarity pronoun nokkur must be used instead.
Is the preposition um required before the að clause?
Yes. The middle voice verb efast is strongly bound to the preposition um. Unlike in English where we just say "doubts that", Icelandic keeps the preposition right before the conjunction, forming the standard structure efast um að.
Why is it allan glæpinn and what case is this?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of viðurkenna (to admit). The adjective allur (all or entire) must agree with the masculine noun glæpur. We use the masculine singular accusative form allan alongside the definite noun glæpinn to mean "the entire crime".
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