Breakdown of Í stuttu máli er nauðsynlegt að tölvuvæða bankakerfið.
vera
to be
að
to (infinitive marker)
nauðsynlegur
necessary
í stuttu máli
in short
Questions & Answers about Í stuttu máli er nauðsynlegt að tölvuvæða bankakerfið.
How does the word tölvuvæða break down, and what does the suffix -væða mean?
It combines tölva (computer) with the productive suffix -væða, which means to equip or transform something. It functions exactly like the English suffixes -ize or -ify, making tölvuvæða mean to computerize. As with other -væða verbs, it is a weak verb that takes a -ddi ending in the past tense (e.g., hann tölvuvæddi).
Why is the phrase í stuttu máli in the dative case?
The preposition í governs the dative case when used in abstract or fixed expressions of state, like this idiom meaning in short or briefly. Both the adjective stutt (short) and the neuter noun mál (matter or speech) are declined in the dative singular.
Why is the adjective nauðsynlegt in the neuter singular form?
It is describing the entire infinitive clause that follows it (að tölvuvæða bankakerfið). In Icelandic, when an adjective describes a general action, a situation, or a whole clause instead of a specific noun, it always defaults to the neuter singular form.
What dictates the case of bankakerfið in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object receiving the action of the newly formed verb tölvuvæða. Because kerfi (system) is a neuter noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative form, and the attached definite article -ð makes it the banking system.