Breakdown of Mér skilst að fyrirlesarinn sé búinn að útskýra mikinn ávinning.
vera
to be
mér
me (dative)
að
to (infinitive marker)
mikill
great, much (adjective)
búinn
finished
útskýra
to explain
mér skilst
to understand/gather (impersonal)
fyrirlesarinn
the speaker (lecturer/presenter)
ávinningurinn
the benefit
Questions & Answers about Mér skilst að fyrirlesarinn sé búinn að útskýra mikinn ávinning.
Why do we say Mér skilst instead of Ég skil here?
Ég skil means "I understand" in a direct, cognitive way (like understanding a language or a math problem). Mér skilst is an impersonal middle-voice construction that translates more closely to "I gather" or "I am given to understand." It acts as an evidential marker, showing you inferred this information or heard it from someone else.
Why is the verb sé in the subjunctive mood here?
Because mér skilst að sets up indirect or reported speech. You are relaying information you gathered, rather than stating a direct, objective fact of your own. This indirectness triggers the subjunctive mood (sé instead of the indicative er) in the subordinate clause that follows.
How does the phrase sé búinn að útskýra work to mean "has already explained"?
Icelandic frequently uses the phrase vera búinn að (literally "to be finished to") followed by an infinitive to express that an action is completed, functioning much like the English perfect tense. Here, it emphasizes that the speaker's action of explaining (útskýra) is already done.
The English translation says "great benefits" (plural), so why is mikinn ávinning in the singular?
In Icelandic, ávinningur (benefit, gain, profit) is often used as a singular mass noun to describe an overall positive outcome, even when English naturally translates it as a plural. It takes the accusative case (mikinn ávinning) because it is the direct object of the verb útskýra.
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