Breakdown of Fornbíllinn á það til að hiksta hjá vélvirkjanum.
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
að
to (infinitive marker)
hjá
next to / at (someone's) place, with
til
to
vélvirkinn
the mechanic
fornbíllinn
the vintage car
eiga það til að
to tend to
hiksta
to sputter
Questions & Answers about Fornbíllinn á það til að hiksta hjá vélvirkjanum.
How does the phrase á það til að translate to 'tends to' in this sentence?
The phrase is a set expression using the verb eiga (to own or have). The structure eiga það til að followed by an infinitive literally translates to something like 'to own it to', but it functions as an idiom meaning 'to have a tendency to' or 'to be prone to' doing something. Here, the verb is conjugated as á to match the singular subject Fornbíllinn.
I usually associate the word hiksta with people. Does it always mean 'sputter' when talking about cars?
Hiksta literally means 'to hiccup.' While you use it for people getting the hiccups, Icelandic commonly uses it metaphorically for engines or machines that sputter, hesitate, or jerk, making it the perfect verb for this struggling vintage car.
Why does the word for mechanic take the form vélvirkjanum here?
The preposition hjá (meaning 'at the place of' or 'with') always requires the dative case. The base word is vélvirki, which is a weak masculine noun. Its dative form becomes vélvirkja, and when you attach the dative singular definite article -num, you get vélvirkjanum.
Could I just say gamli bíllinn instead of fornbíllinn?
You could, but it changes the nuance. Gamli bíllinn simply means 'the old car', which might just be an everyday worn-out vehicle. Fornbíllinn, using the prefix forn- (ancient, antique), specifically implies a classic, antique, or vintage car.
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