Breakdown of „Af hverju ertu að skæla?“ spurði kennarinn þegar Páll vildi hrinda honum.
vera
to be
kennarinn
the teacher
þú
you
að
to (infinitive marker)
spyrja
to ask
vilja
to want (to will, be willing)
honum
him (dative)
af hverju
why
Páll
Páll
þegar
when
skæla
to bawl
hrinda
to push (forcefully)
Questions & Answers about „Af hverju ertu að skæla?“ spurði kennarinn þegar Páll vildi hrinda honum.
Why is the word order spurði kennarinn instead of kennarinn spurði?
This sentence follows the rule for direct speech inversion. In Icelandic, when the reporting clause comes right after a direct quote, the verb must come before the subject. This is why we see spurði kennarinn (asked the teacher) rather than the standard subject-verb order you would use if the quote came later.
What is the difference between að skæla and að gráta?
gráta is the standard, neutral verb for crying. skæla is more colloquial and carries a negative nuance, translating closer to bawling, whining, or blubbering. It is very often used when talking about kids crying in a noisy or complaining way.
Why is the pronoun at the end honum (dative) rather than hann (accusative)?
The verb hrinda (to push) is one of the Icelandic verbs that require their object to be in the dative case. Because Páll wants to push the teacher, the pronoun for the teacher must take the dative form, which is honum.
How do we know honum refers to the teacher and not Páll himself?
If Páll wanted to push himself, the sentence would use the reflexive pronoun sér because Páll is the subject of that specific clause. The use of the standard personal pronoun honum tells us he is acting on a completely different male person, which contextually is kennarinn.
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