Breakdown of Hún er farin að nota sléttujárnið og hárlakkið.
vera
to be
og
and
hún
she
fara
to go
að
to (infinitive marker)
nota
to use
sléttujárnið
the hair straightener (n)
hárlakkið
the hairspray (n)
Questions & Answers about Hún er farin að nota sléttujárnið og hárlakkið.
Why use er farin að nota instead of just hefur byrjað að nota (has started to use)?
The structure vera farinn að + infinitive is a very natural and common way in Icelandic to express that someone has started doing something and is now continuing to do it or has made it a habit. While hefur byrjað simply states the event of starting, er farin að emphasizes the ongoing, continuous reality of this new behavior.
Why is the participle farin used here instead of the default supine farið?
In the vera farinn að construction, the past participle of fara acts like an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the subject. Because the subject is hún (feminine singular), the participle takes the feminine singular form farin. If the subject were hann, it would be er farinn að, and for a neuter subject like það, it would be er farið að.
Are sléttujárnið and hárlakkið in the accusative case here?
Yes, they are. The verb nota (to use) always governs the accusative case. Both sléttujárn and hárlakk are neuter nouns, and for all neuter nouns, the accusative form looks exactly the same as the nominative form, even with the definite article -ið attached.
How do the compound words sléttujárn and hárlakk break down?
Sléttujárn literally translates to "smooth-iron" or "flat-iron," combining the adjective sléttur (flat, smooth) and the noun járn (iron). Hárlakk combines hár (hair) and lakk (lacquer, varnish). Icelandic relies heavily on highly literal compounds like these for modern everyday items!
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