Breakdown of Vörslumaðurinn skrifaði nýja skýrslu þar um.
nýr
new
skrifa
to write
skýrslan
the report
vörslumaðurinn
the curator
þar um
regarding that
Questions & Answers about Vörslumaðurinn skrifaði nýja skýrslu þar um.
Why use þar um instead of um það?
Þar um is a pronominal adverb meaning "about that" or "regarding that." In written or formal Icelandic, þar is often combined with a preposition instead of using the preposition plus a pronoun like það. In everyday speech, you are much more likely to hear um það.
Does þar mean "there" in the phrase þar um?
Not literally. While þar usually means "there", when paired with a preposition to form a pronominal adverb (like þar um, þar af, or þar á), it acts as a placeholder for a pronoun meaning "it" or "that". It is very similar to how English forms formal words like "thereabout" or "thereupon".
What are the root words that make up Vörslumaðurinn?
It is a compound of varsla, which means "custody", "safekeeping", or "possession", and maður, meaning "person" or "man", plus the attached definite article -inn. Together, it translates to "the curator", "the custodian", or "the keeper".
Why does the adjective nýja end in "-a" here?
It is modifying skýrslu (report), which is a feminine noun in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb skrifaði. The strong declension for the adjective nýr (new) in the feminine accusative singular is nýja.
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