Question 1

Why are both áherslu and nýsköpun in the accusative case here?

Accepted Answer

This sentence uses the fixed idiom að leggja áherslu á eitthvað (to place emphasis on something). The verb leggja requires the accusative case for the thing being placed, which is áherslu. The preposition á also takes the accusative here because the emphasis is being abstractly directed toward a target, which is nýsköpun.

Question 2

How would the word order change if I started the sentence with the connective auk þess?

Accepted Answer

Since Icelandic strictly follows the V2 (verb-second) rule, putting an adverbial phrase like auk þess at the start means the verb must immediately follow it. The subject við then moves to the other side of the verb, making the sentence: Auk þess leggjum við áherslu á nýsköpun.

Question 3

What are the root words that make up nýsköpun?

Accepted Answer

It is a compound noun made from ný (new) and sköpun (creation). As a B2 learner, you might recognize sköpun as coming from the verb að skapa (to create). Literally meaning new creation, it is the standard Icelandic term for innovation.

Question 4

What is the past tense of this sentence, and why does the verb vowel change?

Accepted Answer

The past tense is: Við lögðum áherslu á nýsköpun. The verb að leggja is a weak verb, but it is one of the tricky ones that experiences a vowel shift in the past tense. The base past tense root is lagð-, which then becomes lögð- in the first person plural (lögðum) due to u-mutation caused by the -um ending.

Við leggjum áherslu á nýsköpun.

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