Breakdown of Ég sá geimskutluna fljúga í burtu en það var engu að síður áhættusamt.
vera
to be
ég
I
en
but
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
sjá
to see
fljúga
to fly
í burtu
away
engu að síður
nevertheless
áhættusamur
risky
geimskutlan
the space shuttle
Questions & Answers about Ég sá geimskutluna fljúga í burtu en það var engu að síður áhættusamt.
What does engu að síður literally mean, and how does it work grammatically?
It translates to "nevertheless" or "none the less." Literally, it breaks down to engu (the dative form of enginn, meaning "nothing/none"), að (to/at), and síður (less). It acts as an adverbial connective of concession, meaning it acknowledges a fact while introducing a contrasting or surprising point.
Could I put engu að síður at the very beginning of the second clause?
Yes, but it changes the word order. If you put it right after en (but), it triggers the V2 (verb-second) rule. The sentence would become: ...en engu að síður var það áhættusamt (literally: "...but nevertheless was it risky"). In our example, it sits safely after the verb var, which allows for standard subject-verb order (það var).
Why do we use the infinitive fljúga (to fly) instead of a conjugated verb like flaug?
This is an "accusative with infinitive" construction, which frequently follows verbs of perception like sjá (to see) or heyra (to hear). You use the accusative object (geimskutluna) and the infinitive verb (fljúga) to describe the action being perceived. It functions exactly like English: "I saw the shuttle fly."
How is the word geimskutluna formed and declined here?
It is a compound of geimur (space) and skutla (shuttle). Because it is the direct object of sá (saw), it takes the accusative case. The -na at the end is the attached feminine accusative definite article, giving us "the space shuttle."
Why does the adjective áhættusamur (risky) end in -t here?
It is modifying the pronoun það (it), which is being used to refer to the entire situation of the shuttle flying away rather than a specific noun. Because það is neuter, the adjective must take the neuter nominative singular form, which is áhættusamt.
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