Breakdown of Ég set steinseljuna á marineraða kjötið.
ég
I
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
setja
to put
kjötið
the meat
steinseljan
the parsley
marinera
to marinate
Questions & Answers about Ég set steinseljuna á marineraða kjötið.
Why is the participle marineraða used here instead of the base form marinerað?
Because it is acting as an adjective modifying a definite noun (kjötið), it must use the weak declension. The noun kjöt is neuter and is in the accusative case here. For a neuter singular word, the weak ending is always -a, changing the strong form marinerað to the weak form marineraða.
Doesn't the preposition á usually take the dative case? Why are marineraða kjötið in the accusative?
The preposition á governs the accusative case when it describes motion toward a destination, like placing the parsley onto the meat. If the parsley were already resting on the meat (indicating static location), á would take the dative. The noun would change to kjötinu, though the weak adjective actually remains marineraða, making the phrase á marineraða kjötinu.
How is the definite word steinseljuna formed from the base noun?
The base word is steinselja (parsley), which is a weak feminine noun. Because it is the direct object being put, it takes the accusative case and becomes steinselju. To say the parsley, we add the feminine accusative definite suffix -na, resulting in steinseljuna.
Is set present or past tense here? In English, 'put' can be either.
It is in the present tense. The verb setja (to put or place) is conjugated as ég set in the present. If you wanted to say 'I put' in the past tense, you would use the past form ég setti.
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