Breakdown of Við nennum ekki að láta eins og fífl á veitingastaðnum.
ekki
not
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
á
onto / on / in (static location) / on (a day of the week)
veitingastaðurinn
the restaurant
nenna
to be bothered, to feel like (doing)
láta eins og
to act (like)
fíflið
the fool (idiot)
Questions & Answers about Við nennum ekki að láta eins og fífl á veitingastaðnum.
How does the verb nenna work in this sentence?
Nenna is a modal-like verb meaning "to have the energy or inclination to do something". It is very frequently used in the negative (nenna ekki) to mean "cannot be bothered to". It connects to the following action with the infinitive marker að (here, að láta).
Why is láta translated as "act" instead of "let" or "put"?
On its own, láta usually means "to let" or "to put". However, the fixed phrase að láta eins og is an idiom that means "to act like" or "to behave as if".
Since the English translation says "fools" (plural), why doesn't fífl have a plural ending?
Fífl is a neuter noun. In Icelandic, neuter nouns that have no ending in the singular also have no ending in the nominative and accusative plural. So, eitt fífl (one fool) becomes mörg fífl (many fools).
Why is veitingastaðnum in the dative case here?
The preposition á governs the dative case when describing a stationary location ("at the restaurant"). If the sentence implied movement towards the restaurant, á would take the accusative case instead.
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