Breakdown of Ég heyri vélina slá silfrið.
ég
I
heyra
to hear
vélin
the machine (f)
slá
to beat
silfrið
the silver
Questions & Answers about Ég heyri vélina slá silfrið.
Why is vélina in the accusative case here, and why does slá stay in the infinitive?
This is known as an Accusative and Infinitive construction. It is commonly used with sensory verbs like sjá (to see) and heyra (to hear). The object being observed (vélina) takes the accusative case, and the action it performs (slá) is in the infinitive. This structure mirrors the English 'I hear the machine strike'.
Doesn't the verb heyra often use the preposition í? Why isn't it used here?
You use heyra í (followed by the dative) when you are referring to hearing the source of a sound, such as someone speaking on the phone (Ég heyri í þér). When you directly hear a specific event or action taking place, as in this sentence, you use heyra directly with an accusative object.
Does the verb slá always take the accusative case for the thing being hit?
Generally, yes. When slá means to physically strike a target, the target takes the accusative case, just like silfrið does here. However, keep in mind that slá can take the dative case when referring to the tool or instrument being used to do the striking.
Why does the word silfur change to silfrið with the definite article instead of 'silfurið'?
Silfur is a neuter noun where the -ur is part of the root word. When adding the neuter definite article -ið, the second vowel (u) drops out to make it easier to pronounce. This vowel dropping is a common pattern in Icelandic called syncopation, turning silfur + ið into silfrið.
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