Breakdown of Hvílíkar rakettur sem springa þarna uppi!
þarna
over there (pointing)
sem
who / which / that
uppi
upstairs / up (location)
springa
to explode
Questions & Answers about Hvílíkar rakettur sem springa þarna uppi!
Why does hvílíkur take the form Hvílíkar here?
Hvílíkur inflects like a strong adjective to match the noun it describes. Since rakettur (rockets) is feminine, plural, and in the nominative case, the exclamative word must be the feminine plural nominative form, Hvílíkar.
Why is the relative pronoun sem used in this sentence? The English translation doesn't say 'that'.
In Icelandic, when an exclamative noun phrase (like Hvílíkar rakettur) is followed by an action, you use the relative particle sem to connect them. It literally translates to 'What rockets that explode up there!'
Why use þarna instead of þar for 'there'?
Þarna is used to point out a visible, physical location, like saying 'right over there.' Because the speaker is actively looking at the rockets in the sky, þarna is the natural choice. Þar is generally used for more abstract locations or a place already mentioned in a conversation.
Both uppi and upp mean 'up'. Why is uppi the correct choice here?