Question 1

This lesson is about að því gefnu að (assuming that). If I wanted to say "Assuming that the emergency plan is neither clear nor feasible...", how would this sentence change?

Accepted Answer

You would need to change the verb er to its subjunctive form, sé. The conjunction að því gefnu að triggers the subjunctive mood because it sets up a hypothetical condition. The clause becomes: Að því gefnu að neyðaráætlunin sé hvorki skýr né framkvæmanleg...

Question 2

Do the adjectives skýr and framkvæmanleg need to match the noun when separated by hvorki ... né?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely. Both adjectives describe neyðaráætlunin (the emergency plan), which is a feminine noun in the nominative case. Therefore, both skýr and framkvæmanleg must be in the feminine nominative singular form.

Question 3

How is the word framkvæmanleg formed, and what does it literally mean?

Accepted Answer

It comes from the verb að framkvæma, which means "to carry out" or "to execute". By adding the suffix -leg (similar to the English "-able"), it becomes an adjective meaning "executable" or, more naturally in this context, "feasible".

Question 4

Why is there an -ar- in the middle of neyðaráætlunin?

Accepted Answer

Neyðaráætlun is a compound noun made of neyð (emergency/distress) and áætlun (plan). The -ar is the genitive (possessive) ending of neyð. Icelandic compound nouns often use the genitive form of the first word to link them together, literally meaning "plan of emergency".

Neyðaráætlunin er hvorki skýr né framkvæmanleg.

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