Breakdown of Hvort sér veitingaþjónustan um veisluna eða afmælið?
veislan
the party
afmælið
the birthday
eða
or
hvort
whether
sjá um
to take care of, to be in charge of
veitingaþjónustan
the catering service
Questions & Answers about Hvort sér veitingaþjónustan um veisluna eða afmælið?
Why does this sentence start with hvort instead of just the verb sér?
While you could just start the question with the verb (Sér veitingaþjónustan um...?), placing hvort at the beginning explicitly frames it as an "either/or" question. In direct main-clause questions, the hvort ... eða ... structure means "which of these two options". It signals right away that the listener must choose between the two alternatives provided.
Why is the verb sér used here to mean "handling"?
It is part of the phrasal verb sjá um, which means "to see to", "to take care of", or "to handle". The root verb sjá (to see) is highly irregular, becoming sér in the third-person singular present tense.
Why are veisluna and afmælið in the accusative case?
They are governed by the preposition um from the phrasal verb sjá um. The preposition um always requires the accusative case. Both nouns also have the definite article attached: the accusative of veisla becomes veisluna (the party) and afmæli remains afmælið (the birthday).
How is the compound word veitingaþjónustan formed?
It is made from veitingar (refreshments or catering) and þjónusta (service), plus the feminine definite article -n. The first word is placed in its genitive plural form (veitinga-) to link them together, literally translating to "the service of refreshments".
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