Breakdown of Komi ekkert annað í ljós, munum við aflétta þessari ráðstöfun.
við
we
koma
to come
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
þessi
this (m/f)
ljósið
the light
annar
other, another; second
ekkert
nothing / no (neut.)
munu
will
ráðstöfunin
the measure
aflétta
to lift (restrictions, a ban)
Questions & Answers about Komi ekkert annað í ljós, munum við aflétta þessari ráðstöfun.
Why does the sentence start with the verb Komi instead of a word for 'if'?
Starting a clause with a verb in the subjunctive mood is a formal way to express a condition in Icelandic, allowing you to drop the word ef (if). Komi is the present subjunctive of koma. You could also say Ef ekkert annað kemur í ljós, but this verb-first structure is very common in news and formal writing.
Since this lesson is about the Dative Absolute, could we use one here instead?
You could express a similar conditional idea with a Dative Absolute, such as Að öðru óbreyttu (All else being equal). Both the Dative Absolute and this verb-first subjunctive structure are advanced, formal tools used to set up background conditions compactly without needing conjunctions like ef.
Why is þessari ráðstöfun in the dative case?
The verb aflétta (to lift, to remove a restriction) governs the dative case. Therefore, both the demonstrative pronoun þessi and the feminine noun ráðstöfun (measure, arrangement) must take their dative forms, becoming þessari ráðstöfun.
Why does ljós take the accusative case after í instead of the dative?
The phrase koma í ljós literally translates to 'come into light'. Because the action involves movement or a transition toward a destination, the preposition í takes the accusative case here. If something were already established and resting in the light, it would take the dative.
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