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Hvaða þvottaefni á ég að nota á silkið?

Hvaða þvottaefni á ég að nota á silkið?
Which laundry detergent should I use on the silk?
From Lesson 391:Comparing actions (heldur en)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Hvaða þvottaefni á ég að nota á silkið?

Why do we use á ég að here instead of ætti ég að for "should I"?
While ætti ég að means "should I" in the sense of asking for general advice, á ég að is used when asking "what am I supposed to do" or looking for specific instructions. In everyday Icelandic, asking for the correct procedure for a practical task like washing clothes almost always uses eiga að.
Does the question word hvaða decline to match the neuter noun þvottaefni?
No, hvaða (which/what) is one of the few completely indeclinable pronouns in Icelandic. It never changes its form, regardless of the gender, number, or case of the noun it modifies.
Why is silkið in the accusative case after the preposition á?
The preposition á triggers the accusative case when it describes an action directed onto a surface. Because you are applying the detergent onto the silk, it takes the accusative. If a stain was already resting on the silk with no movement involved, it would take the dative to show a fixed location.
What are the root words that make up þvottaefni?
It is a compound of þvottur (wash/laundry) in the genitive plural form þvotta, and efni (material/substance). You will frequently see -efni at the end of Icelandic words for household or chemical products, such as hreinsiefni (cleaning agent).

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