Breakdown of Þær nota nektarinn til að framleiða hunangið.
þær
they (f)
að
to (infinitive marker)
nota
to use
til
to
framleiða
to manufacture
hunangið
the honey
nektarinn
the nectar
Questions & Answers about Þær nota nektarinn til að framleiða hunangið.
If we wanted to add the discourse marker nefnilega to mean 'They use the nectar, you see...', where exactly would it go?
It typically goes immediately after the finite (conjugated) verb. In this sentence, that is nota, so it would be: Þær nota nefnilega nektarinn til að framleiða hunangið.
Why is the feminine pronoun Þær used for 'they' instead of the standard neuter group pronoun Þau?
Icelandic pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they replace. Since this sentence is about bees, it refers back to býflugur, which is a feminine plural noun. Therefore, the feminine plural þær is required.
Why do we need til að before framleiða instead of just using að?
When an infinitive verb expresses the purpose of an action (meaning 'in order to'), you must use the preposition til combined with að. Just using að would be grammatically incorrect here because it fails to convey the intention.
Why do both nektarinn and hunangið have definite articles attached?
While English often drops the article for general substances ('to produce honey'), Icelandic strongly prefers the definite form when referring to a specific, contextual instance of a substance. Here, it implies the specific nectar they gathered and the specific honey they yield.
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