Breakdown of Hún var ástfangin og þorði að senda honum þetta bréf.
vera
to be
og
and
hún
she
hann
he
að
to (infinitive marker)
bréfið
the letter
þessi
this (m/f)
senda
to send
þora
to dare
ástfanginn
in love
Questions & Answers about Hún var ástfangin og þorði að senda honum þetta bréf.
How does the verb þora connect to the action in this sentence?
It connects using the infinitive marker að before the next verb, giving us þorði að senda (dared to send). Unlike true modal verbs like vilja, verbs of mental disposition like þora and nenna require að before the infinitive.
Why does senda use the cases we see in honum þetta bréf?
The verb senda takes two objects. It dictates the dative case for the recipient (the indirect object, honum) and the accusative case for the item being sent (the direct object, þetta bréf).
Is the adjective ástfangin changing based on the subject?
Yes, ástfangin is in the feminine singular nominative form to agree with hún. If the subject were masculine, it would be ástfanginn, and for a neuter subject, ástfangið.
What is the infinitive of þorði and how is this past tense conjugated?
The infinitive is þora (to dare). It is a standard weak verb, meaning it forms its past tense with a suffix. Here, the suffix -ði is added to the stem to make þorði, which is the form for both first and third person singular in the past tense.
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