Word
Ritskoðunin leynir sannleikanum án þess að neinn viti það.
Meaning
The censorship conceals the truth without anyone knowing it.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Ritskoðunin leynir sannleikanum án þess að neinn viti það.
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
vita
to know (a fact, information)
að
that (conjunction)
án
without
Questions & Answers about Ritskoðunin leynir sannleikanum án þess að neinn viti það.
Why is neinn used here instead of einhver if the English translation is 'anyone'?
The pronoun neinn (any/anyone) is a negative polarity item, meaning it requires a negative or restrictive context. Even though there is no direct 'not' (ekki) in the sentence, the phrase án þess að (without) creates a context of absence or negation. In Icelandic, you must use neinn rather than einhver in these 'without' clauses.
Why is the verb viti in the subjunctive mood here?
The phrase án þess að (without) always triggers the subjunctive mood. This is because it introduces a hypothetical or unrealized situation—something that is specifically not happening. Thus, the indicative veit becomes the subjunctive viti.
Why is sannleikanum in the dative case?
The verb leyna (to conceal or hide) always governs the dative case for the object being hidden. Because of this, the nominative sannleikurinn (the truth) becomes the dative sannleikanum.
Why does the sentence use án þess að instead of just án?
The preposition án (without) takes the genitive case, but it cannot directly attach to a full sub-clause that has its own subject and verb. To connect them, Icelandic uses the dummy pronoun það in the genitive case (þess) followed by the conjunction að. It literally translates to 'without that, that anyone knows it'.