Breakdown of Úr fylgsninu fylgist ég með hvernig upplýsingagjafinn hjálpar glæpagenginu sínu.
ég
I
hvernig
how
hjálpa
to help
úr
out of
sinn
his/her/their own (reflexive possessive)
fylgjast með
to keep an eye on
upplýsingagjafinn
the informant
fylgsnið
the hiding place
glæpagengið
the criminal gang
Questions & Answers about Úr fylgsninu fylgist ég með hvernig upplýsingagjafinn hjálpar glæpagenginu sínu.
Why does the Icelandic sentence use hvernig when the English translation says "helping"?
In Icelandic, verbs of perception and monitoring like fylgjast með often use a pseudo-relative clause starting with hvernig (how) or hvar (where) to express an ongoing action. Instead of using a participle like English, Icelandic literally phrases this as "I monitor how the informant helps".
Does the preposition með in fylgist með force the words in the following clause into a specific case?
No, prepositions do not dictate the case of words inside a subordinate clause. The clause starting with hvernig acts as the overall object of með, but the words inside it take their cases from their own grammatical roles. For instance, upplýsingagjafinn is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the verb hjálpar.
Why is sínu used instead of hans for "his criminal gang"?
The reflexive possessive sínu refers back to the subject of its own clause. Since the informant (upplýsingagjafinn) is the subject of the subordinate clause and the gang belongs to him, we must use the reflexive form. If you used hans, it would mean he was helping a gang belonging to some other male.
Why does the main clause say fylgist ég instead of ég fylgist?
This is a reminder of the V2 (verb-second) rule. Because the sentence starts with the prepositional phrase Úr fylgsninu, the main verb fylgist must take the second structural slot, forcing the subject ég to flip and come immediately after it.
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