Question 1

This lesson teaches the abstract dual pronoun hvort tveggja. How would I add it here to say mental tension damages 'both' physical health and my back?

Accepted Answer

You would use the accusative form hvort tveggja (because the verb skemma takes the accusative) and place it before the objects: Andleg togstreita skemmir hvort tveggja líkamlega heilsu og bakið á mér.

Question 2

Is the word togstreita exclusively used for mental tension?

Accepted Answer

Not exclusively. It literally translates to 'pull-stress' or 'tug-of-war'. While it is very commonly used as a metaphor for mental tension, emotional conflict, or friction between groups, it can also refer to a literal physical tug-of-war.

Question 3

I still sometimes want to say bakið mitt for 'my back'. Why is bakið á mér preferred here?

Accepted Answer

When talking about body parts, Icelandic strongly prefers using the definite article on the noun plus a preposition with a dative pronoun (literally 'the back on me'). Using a possessive pronoun like mitt sounds unnatural for body parts unless you are actively emphasizing that it is your back and not someone else's.

Question 4

Why does andleg end in a consonant but líkamlega gets an -a ending?

Accepted Answer

They are in different grammatical cases. Andleg describes the subject togstreita, so it is in the nominative feminine singular form. Líkamlega describes the direct object heilsu, which is the accusative feminine singular form of the noun heilsa, so the adjective must match it with an -a ending.

Andleg togstreita skemmir líkamlega heilsu og bakið á mér.

Breakdown of Andleg togstreita skemmir líkamlega heilsu og bakið á mér.

Questions & Answers about Andleg togstreita skemmir líkamlega heilsu og bakið á mér.

Learn Andleg togstreita skemmir líkamlega heilsu og bakið á mér and more in Icelandic