Breakdown of Stjórnin mun ekki opinbera nein leyndarmál.
ekki
not
leyndarmálið
the secret
neinn
any (in negative sentences)
munu
will
Questions & Answers about Stjórnin mun ekki opinbera nein leyndarmál.
Why do we use nein here instead of engin or einhver?
Neinn is a negative polarity word, meaning it is used specifically in sentences that already have a negative word, like ekki. Because the sentence says ekki opinbera, we must use nein to mean "any". You can't use einhver (some/any) in a negative sentence. If you wanted to use engin (no/none), you would have to drop the ekki and say: Stjórnin mun opinbera engin leyndarmál.
Why is it spelled nein in this sentence rather than another form of neinn?
Neinn is a determiner here, so it has to agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it modifies. Leyndarmál is a neuter noun functioning as the direct object (accusative). Because the sentence refers to "any secrets" (plural), we use the neuter, accusative, plural form, which is nein.
How can we tell that leyndarmál is plural in this sentence?
The noun leyndarmál looks exactly the same in the nominative and accusative cases for both the singular and the plural! The only way to know it means "secrets" (plural) rather than "a secret" (singular) is by looking at the determiner. If it were singular, the neuter accusative singular form of neinn would be used: neitt leyndarmál.
Is the verb opinbera related to the adjective opinber (public/official)?