Breakdown of Mótlætið var hræðilegt en hann gafst aldrei upp.
vera
to be
hann
he
en
but
aldrei
never
gefast upp
to give up
hræðilegur
terrible
mótlætið
the adversity
Questions & Answers about Mótlætið var hræðilegt en hann gafst aldrei upp.
This lesson is about concessive clauses using þrátt fyrir að, but this sentence uses en (but). How would we rewrite it to use the target grammar?
You can turn the first part into a concessive clause: Þrátt fyrir að mótlætið væri hræðilegt, gafst hann aldrei upp (Despite the fact that the adversity was terrible, he never gave up). Notice that var often changes to the subjunctive væri after þrátt fyrir að in formal language, though the indicative var is also very common in daily speech.
Why does the verb gefa have an -st ending here in the form gafst?
This is the middle voice form, gefast. While the active phrasal verb gefa upp means to give something up (like revealing information or a score), the middle voice gefast upp specifically means to surrender or yield yourself. So hann gafst aldrei upp means he never surrendered.
What makes up the noun mótlætið?
It is a neuter noun, as shown by the definite article -ið. It is formed from mót (against, counter) and læti (behavior, noise, or commotion). Put together, mótlæti translates to adversity, hardship, or metaphorical headwinds.
Why does the adjective hræðilegt end in -t?
Predicative adjectives (adjectives following the verb 'to be') must agree with the subject they describe. Since the subject mótlætið is a neuter singular noun, the adjective takes the neuter singular ending -t rather than the masculine dictionary form hræðilegur.
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