Breakdown of Stjörnufræðingurinn er þreyttur en hann heldur engu að síður áfram að rannsaka sólkerfið.
vera
to be
hann
he
en
but
þreyttur
tired
að
to (infinitive marker)
halda áfram
to continue, keep going (halda áfram)
rannsaka
to investigate
sólkerfið
the solar system
stjörnufræðingurinn
the astronomer
engu að síður
nevertheless
Questions & Answers about Stjörnufræðingurinn er þreyttur en hann heldur engu að síður áfram að rannsaka sólkerfið.
Why is engu að síður placed right in the middle of heldur áfram?
Halda áfram is a phrasal verb meaning to continue. In Icelandic, it is very common to split a verb and its particle with an adverbial connective like engu að síður. Tucking the adverb right after the conjugated verb heldur flows much more naturally than keeping the phrasal verb together.
What is the literal breakdown of engu að síður?
It translates literally to by nothing the less. Engu is the dative form of ekkert (nothing), and síður is the comparative form meaning less. Together, they form the fixed phrase for nevertheless or nonetheless.
Can I put engu að síður at the very end of this sentence, like in the English translation?
You technically can say ...að rannsaka sólkerfið engu að síður, but Icelandic strongly prefers to keep adverbial phrases close to the verb they modify. Placing it right after the conjugated verb heldur sounds much more natural than leaving it dangling at the end.
How does halda áfram connect to the next action here?
When you continue doing an action, halda áfram is followed by the infinitive marker að plus the verb in its infinitive form. Here, it connects to rannsaka (to research) to form halda áfram að rannsaka.
How is the noun stjörnufræðingurinn constructed?
It is a compound word made of stjarna (star, here in the connecting genitive form stjörnu), fræði (science or study), and the suffix -ingur which denotes a person. The -inn at the very end is the attached definite article meaning the.
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