Breakdown of Ég vil að þú krossleggir fæturna og snertir tána.
og
and
ég
I
þú
you
vilja
to want (to will, be willing)
að
that (conjunction)
fóturinn
the foot / the leg
snerta
to touch
krossleggja
to cross (arms, legs)
táin
the toe
Questions & Answers about Ég vil að þú krossleggir fæturna og snertir tána.
English uses an object and an infinitive here. Why does this sentence use an að-clause instead of an infinitive?
Even though your current lesson covers object-controlled infinitives, the verb vilja (to want) is a major exception in Icelandic. When you want someone else to do something, you cannot use an object and an infinitive. You must instead use a finite að clause with the subjunctive: Ég vil að þú krossleggir (literally, I want that you cross).
Since the lesson covers reflexivization, why are there no reflexive pronouns like sína or possessives like þína for the body parts?
In Icelandic, when someone acts upon their own body parts, you typically drop possessive and reflexive pronouns entirely and just use the definite article. So fæturna (the legs) and tána (the toe) naturally mean your legs and your toe in this context.
Why is the verb krossleggir used instead of the regular present tense krossleggur?
It is in the subjunctive mood. When vilja is followed by an að-clause to express a wish or desire, the verbs inside that clause must be in the subjunctive. Note that the second verb, snertir, is also in the subjunctive, though it happens to look identical to its present indicative form.
Why is the definite article attached as -na in tána?
The noun tá (toe) is a feminine word that ends in a vowel. In the accusative singular case, the definite article is -na, which attaches directly to the root to form tána. It acts as the direct object of the verb snertir.
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