Breakdown of Ræðumaðurinn mun útskýra hið yfirvofandi.
útskýra
to explain
ræðumaðurinn
the speaker
munu
will
hið
the (formal neuter)
yfirvofandi
imminent
Questions & Answers about Ræðumaðurinn mun útskýra hið yfirvofandi.
Why does this sentence use hið yfirvofandi instead of a noun?
This is an example of a substantivized adjective. By combining the free-standing neuter definite article hið with an adjective, you create an abstract noun concept. Here, it translates to "the imminent" or "that which is imminent".
Why is the free-standing article hið used here? I thought it was mostly for formal or archaic text.
You are right that the free-standing article is normally quite formal in modern Icelandic. However, when turning an adjective into an abstract noun concept like this, using hið is the standard and required grammar. You cannot attach a definite suffix directly to an adjective.
If hið yfirvofandi is taking the weak neuter form, why doesn't the adjective end in -a?
The word yfirvofandi is a present participle (recognized by the -andi ending). Present participles used as adjectives are indeclinable in the singular. This means they do not change their endings for gender or case, so it remains yfirvofandi rather than taking a standard weak neuter -a ending.
What case is hið yfirvofandi in here?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb útskýra (to explain). For neuter words, the nominative and accusative forms are always identical, which is why hið looks the same as it would in the subject position.
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