Breakdown of Við eigum eftir að rekja og staðsetja bílinn.
bíllinn
the car
og
and
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
eiga
to own / to have (a relationship)
eftir
after / for (waiting for)
rekja
to trace
staðsetja
to locate
Questions & Answers about Við eigum eftir að rekja og staðsetja bílinn.
How does eiga eftir að translate to "have yet to"?
The phrase eiga eftir að literally translates to "to have after to" (with eiga meaning to have/own and eftir meaning after/remaining). It is the standard Icelandic way to express that you still have to do something, or that an action has yet to happen.
Why is bílinn spelled with only one 'l' in the middle here, rather than as bíllinn?
This is a classic spelling trap! The nominative (subject) form is bíllinn (double 'l'). However, because the car is the direct object of the verbs, it takes the accusative case. The accusative form of the base word bíll is bíl (single 'l'), so adding the definite article -inn gives us bílinn.
What is the literal breakdown of the verb staðsetja?
It is a compound made from the noun staður (place or location) and the verb setja (to put or set). To "place-set" something is a very literal, logical way to say you are locating or positioning it.
Since the current lesson covers passives, how could we rewrite this sentence as an impersonal passive?
Because rekja and staðsetja take direct objects rather than prepositions, you can't form a passive with a stranded preposition here. But you can still use the impersonal það construction by dropping the subject við: Það á eftir að rekja og staðsetja bílinn. This effectively translates to "The car has yet to be traced and located." Notice that bílinn stays in the accusative case even in this passive-like structure!
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