Breakdown of Ég hefði ekki átt að vanmeta vandamálið, eftirsjáin er of mikil.
vera
to be
ég
I
ekki
not
hafa
to have
vandamálið
the problem
mikill
great, much (adjective)
eiga að
to be supposed to
of
too
vanmeta
to underestimate
eftirsjáin
the regret
Questions & Answers about Ég hefði ekki átt að vanmeta vandamálið, eftirsjáin er of mikil.
How does the construction hefði átt að work here to express 'should have'?
It uses hefði (the past subjunctive of hafa) plus átt (the supine form of eiga, which implies duty or obligation in this context) and the infinitive marker að. Together, hefði átt að expresses an unfulfilled past obligation. Placing ekki immediately after the conjugated verb hefði makes it negative: 'should not have'.
How is the verb vanmeta (to underestimate) formed?
What dictates the case of vandamálið in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb vanmeta (to underestimate). Even though the sentence starts with a long modal chain (hefði ekki átt að), it is always the main action verb at the end of that chain that governs the case of the object. Because vandamál is a neuter noun, its accusative form looks identical to its nominative form.
Why does the sentence end with mikil instead of the default dictionary form mikið?
The adjective must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it describes. Here, it describes eftirsjáin (the regret). Because eftirsjá is a feminine noun in the nominative case, the adjective must take the feminine nominative form mikil rather than the neuter form mikið.
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