Breakdown of Bruggið hefur gerjast og kolsýran hefur myndast.
og
and
hafa
to have
bruggið
the brew
gerjast
to ferment
kolsýran
the carbonation
myndast
to form
Questions & Answers about Bruggið hefur gerjast og kolsýran hefur myndast.
Why do the supine forms gerjast and myndast look exactly like their infinitive forms?
For middle voice verbs ending in -st, the supine (sagnbót) is formed by taking the regular supine and adding -st. The regular active supine of gerja is gerjað. When you add -st, the ð is dropped because Icelandic phonetics avoid the -ðst consonant cluster, leaving gerjast. The exact same rule applies to mynda (active supine myndað), which becomes myndast.
Could I use the active verbs gerja and mynda with hefur here instead?
No, because those active verbs require an object. They mean 'to ferment something' and 'to form something'. In this sentence, the brew and the carbonation are undergoing these processes on their own. The -st ending is required here to give the verbs this autonomous, intransitive meaning.
Why is kolsýran definite if the English translation could simply be 'carbonation has formed'?
While English often drops the definite article for uncountable nouns produced in a general process, Icelandic prefers to use the definite article when the noun is tightly associated with a specific context. Here, it is the specific carbonation belonging to this specific brew, making kolsýran the most natural choice.
What is the base form of kolsýran and how does the definite article attach to it?
The base form is kolsýra (carbon dioxide or carbonation), which is a weak feminine noun. When adding the definite article -in to a weak feminine noun, the final -a of the stem is dropped, resulting in kolsýran.
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