Breakdown of Mér finnst spennandi að framkalla andlitsmyndina.
ég
I
finnast
to find, to think
að
to (infinitive marker)
spennandi
exciting
framkalla
to develop (photographic)
andlitsmyndin
the portrait
Questions & Answers about Mér finnst spennandi að framkalla andlitsmyndina.
Why do we use mér finnst instead of ég er to express being excited here?
The phrase mér finnst (I find / it seems to me) takes the dative case and is used for subjective opinions. The sentence literally translates to 'To me finds exciting to develop...'. If you used Ég er spenntur/spennt (I am excited), you would be describing your own state of mind rather than your opinion about the activity itself.
Why doesn't spennandi change its ending to agree with anything?
Spennandi is a present participle functioning as an adjective (ending in -andi). These types of adjectives in Icelandic are completely indeclinable, meaning they never change form regardless of the gender, number, or case of the noun or phrase they describe.
This lesson focuses on the 'vera orðinn' construction. How would I use that to say 'The portrait has become exciting'?
You would say Andlitsmyndin er orðin spennandi. The participle orðin (from the verb verða) must agree in gender, number, and case with the feminine nominative noun andlitsmyndin. As mentioned, spennandi remains unchanged.
How does the verb framkalla relate to the English word 'develop'?
It is a compound of the adverb fram (forward, out) and the verb kalla (to call). Literally meaning 'to call forth', it is the standard term used in Icelandic for developing photographs or film to bring the hidden image into view.
Let's break down the compound word andlitsmyndina. What are its grammatical parts?
It consists of andlit (face) in the genitive case with the -s suffix acting as a connector, mynd (picture/image), and the attached feminine accusative definite article -ina. The verb framkalla governs the accusative case here, which is why we use -ina instead of the nominative -in.
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