Breakdown of Meinti fjárdrátturinn kann að eyðileggja trúverðugleika hans.
að
to (infinitive marker)
hans
his
eyðileggja
to destroy
kunna
might / may (possibility)
meintur
alleged
fjárdrátturinn
the embezzlement
trúverðugleikinn
the credibility
Questions & Answers about Meinti fjárdrátturinn kann að eyðileggja trúverðugleika hans.
How does fjárdrátturinn literally translate to "embezzlement"?
It is a compound word. The first part is fjár, the genitive form of fé (money, or historically, sheep/livestock). The second part is dráttur, meaning "a drawing" or "pulling" (here with the definite article -inn). So literally, it is the "pulling of money," which effectively describes embezzlement.
Why is kann að translated as "might" here instead of "knows how to"?
While kunna að often means "to know how to" do a skill (like ég kann að synda for "I know how to swim"), it is also frequently used to express possibility, meaning "may" or "might." Because an embezzlement does not possess literal knowledge or skills, the context makes it clear that it expresses a possibility: the embezzlement might ruin his credibility.
Why is the adjective meinti used instead of meintur?
The noun it modifies, fjárdrátturinn, has the definite article attached to it (-inn). In Icelandic, when a noun has a definite article, any preceding adjectives must take their weak declension. For a masculine, singular, nominative adjective, the weak ending is -i, making it meinti.
Why is trúverðugleika in the accusative case here?
It is the direct object of the verb eyðileggja (to destroy/ruin), which governs the accusative case. The nominative form of this word is trúverðugleiki, a masculine weak noun ending in -i. In the accusative, that ending changes to -a.
If we reported this as a past event using this lesson's grammar ("They said that the alleged embezzlement had ruined his credibility"), how would the verb change?
You would drop the modal kann að and use the present subjunctive of hafa plus the supine of eyðileggja. The sentence would become: Þeir sögðu að meinti fjárdrátturinn hafi eyðilagt trúverðugleika hans. The form hafi is the present subjunctive of hafa for the third-person singular, which is the exact structure this lesson focuses on for indirect reporting.
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