Breakdown of Þú byrjar framköllunina með því að setja filmuna í vökvann.
þú
you
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
að
to (infinitive marker)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
byrja
to start
setja
to put
með
with
filman
the film (photographic)
vökvinn
the liquid
framköllunin
the development (photographic)
Questions & Answers about Þú byrjar framköllunina með því að setja filmuna í vökvann.
Why do we say með því að setja instead of just með að setja to mean "by putting"?
In Icelandic, prepositions like með cannot directly connect to an infinitive phrase starting with að. You must insert the dummy pronoun það in the case governed by the preposition. Because með takes the dative case here, það becomes því. The fixed structure með því að is the standard way to express "by doing [something]".
Why is vökvann in the accusative case here?
The preposition í takes the accusative case when it describes motion or direction into a place. Because you are actively putting the film into the liquid, it triggers the accusative (vökvann). If the film were already resting inside the liquid, you would use the dative case to indicate static location (í vökvanum).
How is the word framköllunina formed?
It is the definite accusative form of the feminine noun framköllun (development). The word is built from the verb að framkalla, which literally means "to call forth" (fram + kalla) but is the standard Icelandic term for developing film or photographs.
Does the verb byrja always take the accusative case for its object?
Yes, in modern Icelandic, when byrja (to start/begin) is followed directly by a noun, that noun is almost always in the accusative case, just like framköllunina here. You will also frequently see it followed by an infinitive verb instead, as in byrja að setja (start to put).
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