Breakdown of Í þriðja skrefi setur þú tappana í götin.
þú
you
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
setja
to put
þriðji
third
skrefið
the step
gatið
the hole
tappinn
the peg
Questions & Answers about Í þriðja skrefi setur þú tappana í götin.
The current lesson is about phrases like í þriðja lagi (thirdly). Why does this sentence say í þriðja skrefi?
While í þriðja lagi is a fixed adverbial phrase meaning "thirdly" used to structure arguments or lists, this sentence describes a literal set of physical instructions. It replaces the abstract noun lag with the neuter noun skref (step) to literally mean "in the third step." Notice that both phrases follow the exact same grammatical pattern: the preposition í + a dative weak ordinal number + a dative neuter noun.
Why do the two instances of the preposition í trigger different cases here?
The preposition í controls the dative case for static positions in time, space, or a process, which is why we see the dative in í þriðja skrefi (in the third step). However, when í indicates movement or direction into something, it takes the accusative case. Since you are actively putting the pegs into the holes, götin is in the accusative.
Why is the verb setur placed before the subject þú?
What determines the ending of the ordinal number þriðja in this sentence?
Ordinal numbers in Icelandic behave like weak adjectives and must agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. Since skrefi is a neuter, dative, singular noun, the ordinal þriðji takes the corresponding weak neuter dative ending, becoming þriðja.
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