Breakdown of Blaðafulltrúinn staðfestir að þöggunin er staðreynd.
vera
to be
að
that (conjunction)
staðreyndin
the fact
staðfesta
to confirm
blaðafulltrúinn
the press officer
þöggunin
the cover-up
Questions & Answers about Blaðafulltrúinn staðfestir að þöggunin er staðreynd.
The word þöggunin translates to "the cover-up". What is the root of this word?
It comes from the verb þegja, which means "to be silent". The noun þöggun refers to "silencing" or "hushing up", which in political or media contexts translates perfectly to "cover-up". The -in at the end is the attached feminine definite article.
Both staðfestir and staðreynd start with stað-. Are these words related?
Yes, they both use the root staður (place). The verb að staðfesta (to confirm) literally means "to fix in place" (using festa). The noun staðreynd (fact) combines staður with reynd (proven/experienced) to mean something that is "proven in place".
Why does this sentence use the indicative er instead of the subjunctive sé after að?
The verb staðfesta (to confirm) introduces a statement of absolute certainty or fact. Verbs of thinking, reporting, or doubting (like segja or halda) often trigger the subjunctive mood in indirect speech. However, verbs of confirming or knowing generally take the indicative mood because the speaker is asserting the statement as an undeniable truth.
What are the components of the compound word blaðafulltrúinn?
It is a compound of blað (paper/newspaper, here in the genitive plural blaða), and fulltrúi (representative). Together they mean "press officer" or "spokesperson". The -nn at the end is the masculine definite article attaching to the masculine noun fulltrúi.
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