Breakdown of Efast þú um að mannúðin sé árangursrík?
vera
to be
þú
you
um
about
að
that (conjunction)
efast
to doubt
mannúðin
the humanity
árangursríkur
effective
Questions & Answers about Efast þú um að mannúðin sé árangursrík?
Why do we need the preposition um right before the conjunction að?
The verb efast strongly pairs with the preposition um. In Icelandic, when a prepositional verb introduces a subordinate clause starting with að, the preposition is kept. In English, we usually drop the preposition before a that-clause, but in Icelandic, dropping um here would be grammatically incorrect.
Why is the verb vera in the subjunctive form sé instead of the indicative er?
The verb efast expresses doubt. In Icelandic, verbs expressing doubt, subjective opinion, or uncertainty trigger the subjunctive mood in the following að-clause. Because of this, the indicative er becomes the present subjunctive sé.
Efast ends in -st, which usually indicates the middle voice. Is it reflexive here?
No, efast is a deponent verb. This means it only exists in the -st form but carries a normal active meaning. It does not mean to doubt oneself or to doubt each other; the -st ending is just an inherent part of how the verb is formed.
How does the adjective árangursrík agree with the rest of the sentence?
It is in the feminine, singular, nominative form to agree with its subject, mannúðin. The word itself is a compound of árangur (result or success) in the genitive case (árangurs) and the suffix -ríkur (rich in), literally meaning rich in results.
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