Breakdown of Skilur þú kvótann? Þeir útskýra hann aldrei.
þú
you
hann
he
þeir
they (m)
skilja
to understand
aldrei
never
útskýra
to explain
kvótinn
the quota
Questions & Answers about Skilur þú kvótann? Þeir útskýra hann aldrei.
Why is hann placed before aldrei in the second sentence?
This is called object shift (fornafnaskotsfærsla). In Icelandic main clauses, unstressed object pronouns like hann move in front of sentence adverbs like aldrei or ekki. While English puts the adverb first (never explain it), Icelandic shifts the pronoun (explain it never).
What would the word order be if we repeated the noun kvótann instead of using the pronoun hann?
The object shift rule applies to unstressed pronouns. If you used the full noun, it would typically stay after the sentence adverb. You would say Þeir útskýra aldrei kvótann (They never explain the quota).
Why do we use hann to mean 'it' here?
In Icelandic, pronouns must agree with the grammatical gender of the noun they replace. Because kvóti is a masculine noun, you must use the masculine accusative pronoun hann rather than the neuter það.
Why does kvóti become kvótann in the first sentence?
Kvóti is a weak masculine noun. The verb skilja (to understand) requires its object to be in the accusative case, making it kvóta. To say 'the quota', you add the definite article suffix, resulting in kvótann.
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