Breakdown of Hvernig á að brjóta saman þessa krumpuðu skyrtu?
hvernig
how
skyrtan
the shirt
þessi
this (m/f)
eiga að
to be supposed to
brjóta saman
to fold
krumpaður
wrinkled
Questions & Answers about Hvernig á að brjóta saman þessa krumpuðu skyrtu?
Why is there no subject like maður (one) or ég (I) after á að in this sentence?
The phrase eiga að (to be supposed to / to have to) is often used impersonally without a subject to ask for general instructions. Hvernig á að... translates neatly to "How should one..." or "How are you supposed to...". You could say hvernig á maður að..., but leaving the subject out is very common and natural for general statements.
The verb brjóta usually means "to break". Why is it used for folding a shirt here?
When brjóta is paired with the adverb saman (together), it creates the phrasal verb brjóta saman, which specifically means "to fold". You will see this used for folding laundry, paper, or tents. Without saman, you would indeed be asking how to break the shirt!
Why does the adjective krumpuðu end in "-u" here instead of the strong accusative feminine "-a"?
Because the noun is preceded by the demonstrative pronoun þessa (this), the adjective must take the weak declension. The weak form for a feminine accusative adjective is krumpuðu. If it were just "a wrinkled shirt" without "this", you would use the strong declension: krumpaða skyrtu.
Is the placement of saman fixed, or could it go at the end of the sentence?
It is flexible. With Icelandic phrasal verbs, the adverb particle can usually go right after the verb or after the direct object. It would be equally correct and natural to ask: Hvernig á að brjóta þessa krumpuðu skyrtu saman?
Learn Hvernig á að brjóta saman þessa krumpuðu skyrtu and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free