Breakdown of Hann vann keppnina þrátt fyrir lítið þrek.
hann
he
lítill
small / a little (small amount)
vinna
to work (general labor, to do work)
keppnin
the competition
þrátt fyrir
despite (+ Accusative)
þrekið
the stamina
Questions & Answers about Hann vann keppnina þrátt fyrir lítið þrek.
How does the preposition þrátt fyrir affect the grammar of lítið þrek in this sentence?
Þrátt fyrir always governs the accusative case. The word þrek (stamina) is a neuter noun, and its accusative form is identical to its nominative. The adjective modifying it must agree, so lítill (little) becomes the neuter accusative lítið.
Why does keppnina end in -na here?
It is the direct object of the verb vann (won), so it must be in the accusative case. Keppni is a feminine noun. The accusative definite article suffix for feminine nouns is -na, which attaches directly to the word to form keppnina (the competition).
Why is the past tense of vinna (to win/work) written as vann here instead of having a regular ending?
Vinna is a strong verb, meaning it indicates the past tense by changing its root vowel rather than adding a standard suffix like -aði or -ti. For the third-person singular (he/she/it), the past tense form is simply vann.
Could I use a conjunction like þótt (although) here instead of þrátt fyrir?
Not without changing the rest of the sentence. Þrátt fyrir is a preposition, so it links directly to a noun phrase (lítið þrek). If you use a conjunction like þótt, you must create a full subordinate clause with its own subject and verb, for example: ...þótt hann hefði lítið þrek (...although he had little stamina).
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