Breakdown of Offramboðið á markaðnum er stórt vandamál.
vera
to be
stór
big
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
vandamálið
the problem
markaðurinn
the market
offramboðið
the oversupply
Questions & Answers about Offramboðið á markaðnum er stórt vandamál.
How does the prefix of- work in offramboðið?
The prefix of- means too much or over-. Here it attaches to the neuter noun framboð (supply) to create offramboð (oversupply). You will often see of- added to nouns, adjectives, or verbs to indicate an excess of something, matching how over- works in English.
What is the noun framboð derived from?
It is made up of fram (forward) and boð (offer or bid). Literally meaning an offer put forward, framboð is the standard Icelandic word for economic supply as well as political candidacy.
Why is markaðnum in the dative case here?
The preposition á takes the dative case when describing a stationary location or state, like being on the market (á markaðnum). If the sentence described active motion onto the market, á would take the accusative case instead.
Why does the adjective stórt end in -t?
Adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case. Because vandamál (problem) is a neuter noun in the nominative singular, the adjective stór (big) takes the corresponding neuter singular ending -t.
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