Breakdown of Gírkassinn á það til að skrölta þegar ég gangset bílinn.
bíllinn
the car
ég
I
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
að
to (infinitive marker)
til
to
þegar
when
eiga það til að
to tend to
gírkassinn
the gearbox
skrölta
to rattle
gangsetja
to start
Questions & Answers about Gírkassinn á það til að skrölta þegar ég gangset bílinn.
How does the phrase á það til að mean "tends to"?
The phrase literally translates to "owns it to to", but it is a fixed idiom in Icelandic. The structure eiga það til að followed by an infinitive verb, like skrölta here, indicates that a person or thing has a tendency, habit, or occasional likelihood of doing something. It is often used for things that are slightly annoying or irregular.
Can I drop the það and just say Gírkassinn á til að skrölta?
While you might hear native speakers occasionally drop the það in very casual, rapid speech, the grammatically correct and standard phrasing is always eiga það til að. The það acts as a required placeholder object for the tendency itself, so you should stick to including it.
Why use gangset for "start" instead of the more common verb byrja?
The verb byrja is used for beginning an action or an event, like starting a conversation or a movie. However, when you are starting a machine, a motor, or an engine like a car, you must use gangsetja. It literally translates to "to set in motion" or "to set going".
Why is bílinn in the accusative case in this sentence?
The verb gangsetja requires its direct object (the thing being started) to be in the accusative case. Since bíll is a masculine noun, adding the definite article in the accusative form gives us bílinn.
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