Breakdown of Hún vill frekar handþvo kápuna heldur en að láta hana skreppa saman í þvottavélinni.
hún
she
að
to (infinitive marker)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
hana
her
vilja
to want (to will, be willing)
láta
to let
kápan
the coat
þvottavélin
the washing machine
frekar
rather
heldur en
rather than
handþvo
to hand-wash
skreppa saman
to shrink
Questions & Answers about Hún vill frekar handþvo kápuna heldur en að láta hana skreppa saman í þvottavélinni.
Why is there an að before láta but not before handþvo?
Handþvo follows the modal verb vill (wants to), which takes a bare infinitive without að. However, when introducing a new infinitive phrase after heldur en (rather than), it is standard Icelandic grammar to include the infinitive marker að before the second verb (að láta), even if the first verb in the comparison lacked it.
Can I drop heldur and just use en to mean 'than' in this sentence?
No, when comparing entire clauses or infinitive phrases like this, you need the full conjunction heldur en. Using just en is mainly reserved for simple noun or adjective comparisons, such as hún er hærri en hann (she is taller than him).
Does the phrase skreppa saman always mean 'shrink'?
Yes! The verb skreppa on its own usually means to slip, escape, or make a quick trip (like popping out to the store). But when paired with the adverb saman (together), the phrasal verb skreppa saman means to shrink or contract—literally to 'slip together'.
Why is the pronoun hana in the accusative case here?
Hana refers back to the coat (kápuna, feminine accusative). It takes the accusative because it acts as the object of the causative verb láta (to let/make). The structure láta + accusative object + bare infinitive (skreppa) is the standard way to express 'letting/making [something] [do something]' in Icelandic.
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