Breakdown of Myglan í þessu skítuga herbergi er óviðunandi.
vera
to be
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
herbergið
the room
þessi
this (m/f)
skítugur
dirty
myglan
the mold
óviðunandi
unacceptable (intolerable)
Questions & Answers about Myglan í þessu skítuga herbergi er óviðunandi.
Wait, there is no að clause or subjunctive verb here. How does this fit into the lesson on evaluative subjunctive?
This sentence provides the strong value judgment (er óviðunandi) that acts as a trigger. If you expand this into a complex sentence describing an action with an að (that) clause, the verb in that clause must take the present subjunctive. For example: Það er óviðunandi að hann sofi í þessu herbergi (It is unacceptable that he sleeps in this room).
Why does the adjective skítugur (dirty) take the weak form skítuga in this sentence?
It uses the weak declension because it follows the demonstrative pronoun þessu (this). Whenever an adjective is preceded by a demonstrative pronoun, a possessive pronoun, or the free definite article, it is forced into the weak declension. Here, skítuga is the neuter dative singular weak form, matching herbergi.
Would the adjective óviðunandi (unacceptable) change its ending if the subject were plural?
No, it remains exactly the same. Adjectives ending in -andi are derived from present participles and are completely indeclinable in Icelandic. Óviðunandi never changes form, regardless of the gender, number, or case of the noun it describes.
Why are the words describing the room in the dative case (í þessu skítuga herbergi)?
The preposition í governs the dative case when it indicates a static location (being 'in' or 'inside' the room). If the sentence described movement towards a destination (going 'into' the room), í would take the accusative case instead.
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