Breakdown of Manni líður illa þegar fólkið er að ryðjast í troðningnum.
vera
to be
að
to (infinitive marker)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
líða
to feel
illa
badly
fólkið
the people
þegar
when
maður
one (impersonal pronoun)
troðningurinn
the crush
ryðjast
to push one's way
Questions & Answers about Manni líður illa þegar fólkið er að ryðjast í troðningnum.
Why does this sentence start with Manni instead of Maður?
Manni is the dative form of the impersonal pronoun maður (meaning "one" or a general "you"). It is used here because the verb líða (to feel) is an impersonal verb that always requires its subject to be in the dative case. Thus, "one feels" is always manni líður.
Why use the middle voice verb ryðjast here instead of the active ryðja?
The active verb ryðja means "to clear" (like clearing snow or debris). Adding the middle voice -st ending often indicates doing an action for oneself or reflects it back on the subject. Here, ryðjast means clearing a path for yourself—pushing, shoving, or barging your way through a crowd.
Since this is a general statement about "when people push", why does fólk take the definite article (fólkið)?
Icelandic often uses the definite article with collective nouns like fólkið (the people) even when speaking generally, where English would usually drop it. In this context, it also helps set the scene, making you picture the specific mass of people surrounding you in that exact situation.
Why is troðningnum (the crush/crowd) in the dative case?
It follows the preposition í (in). When í indicates a current state or fixed location (already being stuck in the crowd), it triggers the dative case. It would only take the accusative if the sentence described movement from the outside into the crowd.
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