Breakdown of Þetta var glæfralegt, við hefðum getað sýnt meiri fyrirhyggju.
þetta
this
vera
to be
við
we
sýna
to show
hafa
to have
mikill
great, much (adjective: snjórinn er mikill)
geta
to be able to
glæfralegur
reckless
fyrirhyggjan
the foresight
Questions & Answers about Þetta var glæfralegt, við hefðum getað sýnt meiri fyrirhyggju.
Why are there two supine (past participle) verbs right next to each other with getað sýnt?
This happens because of a special rule for the verb geta (to be able to). To say "could have", we use the past subjunctive of hafa (við hefðum) plus the supine of geta (getað). Unlike English, which uses an infinitive next ("could have shown"), Icelandic requires any verb directly governed by geta to also take the supine form. Therefore, sýna becomes sýnt.
The lesson mentions these modal constructions usually take the infinitive. Why isn't there an að before the main verb here?
It depends on the specific modal verb! While hefði átt að (should have) uses að plus the infinitive (e.g., við hefðum átt að sýna), the verb geta is an exception. It connects directly to the main verb without að, and as mentioned, it demands that the following verb be in the supine form instead of the infinitive.
What case is fyrirhyggju in, and why does the adjective meiri look like that?
Fyrirhyggju is the accusative singular form of the feminine noun fyrirhyggja (foresight/prudence), because it is the direct object of the verb sýna. Meiri is the comparative form of the adjective mikill (much). For comparative adjectives ending in -i, the feminine accusative form remains meiri.
How does the noun fyrirhyggju break down literally?
The dictionary form fyrirhyggja is made up of fyrir (before/fore) and hyggja (thought/mind, related to the verb að hyggja, meaning to think or believe). It translates literally to "forethought", which is exactly how English builds the word "foresight".
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