Breakdown of Þú færð að skola nýju vatnaplöntuna.
þú
you
nýr
new
að
to (infinitive marker)
fá
to get
skola
to rinse
vatnaplantan
the water plant
Questions & Answers about Þú færð að skola nýju vatnaplöntuna.
Why use færð að here instead of just getur (can)?
The phrase fá að (literally "to get to") specifically means to be allowed or given the opportunity to do something. If you used getur (can), it would imply you have the physical ability to rinse it, rather than the permission or turn to do it.
Why is the adjective nýju instead of nýja?
Because it modifies a definite noun (vatnaplöntuna), the adjective must use the weak declension. For a feminine noun in the accusative case, the weak ending is -u. If the sentence were in the nominative case (the subject), it would be nýja.
Let's break down vatnaplöntuna. Why does the root change from an a to an ö?
This is a compound of vatna (genitive plural of vatn, meaning "water") and planta (plant). Because it is the direct object of skola, it takes the accusative case. The accusative of planta is plöntu, triggering a u-mutation where the a becomes ö. Finally, adding the accusative definite article suffix -na gives us vatnaplöntuna.
This lesson is about dropping the expletive (dummy) það. How would that rule apply if we rewrote this sentence to say "No one gets to rinse..."?
If you use a dummy subject to say "No one gets to...", you'd start with it: Það fær enginn að skola... (Literally: "It gets no one to rinse..."). However, if you invert the clause by putting a time or place word first—like Í dag (today)—the dummy það must be dropped completely: Í dag fær enginn að skola... You cannot say Í dag fær það enginn...
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