Breakdown of Ræktandinn á að þrífa feldinn.
þrífa
to clean
eiga að
to be supposed to
ræktandinn
the breeder
feldurinn
the coat (fur)
Questions & Answers about Ræktandinn á að þrífa feldinn.
Why isn't there an adjective agreeing with the object in this sentence, since the lesson is about objective predicative agreement?
Because þrífa is the infinitive verb meaning 'to clean', not the adjective 'clean'! Since English uses the same word for both, it is easy to mix them up. If you wanted to use an objective predicative adjective, you could say Ræktandinn á að gera feldinn hreinan (The breeder has to make the coat clean), where the adjective hreinan agrees with the masculine accusative object feldinn.
Does á að mean the breeder 'owns' the coat?
No. While the verb eiga means 'to own', the phrase eiga að followed by an infinitive verb (here, þrífa) means 'to be supposed to', 'ought to', or 'has to'. It expresses an obligation or expectation.
What type of noun is ræktandinn?
The base word is ræktandi (breeder). It is a weak masculine noun ending in -andi, which are typically agent nouns (words for people doing an action). When you add the definite article in the nominative case, ræktandi + -nn becomes ræktandinn.
What is the base form of feldinn, and what case is it in here?
The base word is the strong masculine noun feldur (animal coat, fur, or pelt). It is in the accusative case here because it is the direct object receiving the action of the verb þrífa. In the accusative, feldur drops its -ur ending to become feld, and adding the accusative definite article makes it feldinn.
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