Breakdown of Getur saumavélin þín saumað í gegnum leðrið sem er tvo sentímetra á þykkt?
vera
to be
tveir
two
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
þinn
your (m, f, n: þinn, þín, þitt)
sentímetrinn
the centimeter
sem
who / which / that
geta
to be able to
sauma
to sew
leðrið
the leather
í gegnum
through (+ Accusative)
saumavélin
the sewing machine
þykktin
the thickness
Questions & Answers about Getur saumavélin þín saumað í gegnum leðrið sem er tvo sentímetra á þykkt?
Why are both tvo sentímetra and þykkt in the accusative case?
This is the standard structure for expressing dimensions. You use the verb vera (to be) followed by the measurement in the accusative (tvo sentímetra), the preposition á, and finally the dimension noun, also in the accusative (þykkt).
Why is the number two translated as tvo here instead of tveir or tvö?
Numbers from 1 to 4 decline to match the gender and case of the noun they describe. Because sentímetri is a masculine noun and is in the accusative case for this dimensional phrase, the masculine accusative form tvo is used.
What determines the case of leðrið in this sentence?
The compound preposition í gegnum (through) always forces the following noun into the accusative case. Since leður (leather) is a neuter noun, its definite accusative form is leðrið, which happens to look exactly the same as its nominative form.
Why do we use saumað instead of the infinitive sauma?
The modal verb geta (can or to be able to) is unique in Icelandic because it requires the main verb to be in the supine form (sagnbót), rather than the infinitive. The supine is the same form you use after hafa (have), which is why we use saumað here.
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