Breakdown of Mér tekst að sjá hvernig maðurinn afhendir leynilega varninginn.
ég
I
maðurinn
the man
hvernig
how
að
to (infinitive marker)
sjá
to see
afhenda
to deliver
takast
to succeed (mér tekst að...)
leynilegur
secret
varningurinn
the merchandise
Questions & Answers about Mér tekst að sjá hvernig maðurinn afhendir leynilega varninginn.
Why does this sentence use hvernig (how) when the English translation uses the "-ing" verb "handing over"?
This is a pseudo-relative clause of perception. In English, after verbs like "see" or "hear", we typically use a participle ("I see the man handing over..."). Icelandic prefers to use hvernig (how) or hvar (where) followed by a new clause. You are literally saying, "I manage to see how the man hands over..."
Why does the subordinate clause use the present tense afhendir ("hands over") instead of an infinitive or participle?
Because hvernig introduces a standard subordinate clause, the verb inside it must have a subject and be conjugated normally. Icelandic doesn't use its present participle (words ending in -andi) for this kind of observed action. The English "-ing" phrase simply becomes a regular conjugated verb: ...hvernig maðurinn afhendir (how the man hands over).
Is leynilega acting as an adverb ("secretly") or an adjective ("secret") here?
While it looks identical to the adverb leynilega (secretly), here it is actually a weak adjective modifying varninginn. Because the noun has the definite article attached (-inn), any descriptive adjective before it must use the weak declension. The weak masculine accusative form of leynilegur (secret) happens to be leynilega.
Just as a refresher, why does the sentence start with Mér instead of Ég?
The verb takast (to manage / to succeed) is an impersonal verb that requires its subject to be in the dative case, which is a common feature in Icelandic often called a "quirky subject". Therefore, the nominative pronoun ég must change to the dative mér.
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