Breakdown of Við þurfum ekki bara dósaupnarann, heldur líka korktappatogarann.
ekki
not
bara
just / only
við
we
þurfa
to need
líka
also
heldur
rather, but rather
korktappatogarinn
the corkscrew
dósaupnarinn
the can opener
Questions & Answers about Við þurfum ekki bara dósaupnarann, heldur líka korktappatogarann.
Why are both dósaupnarann and korktappatogarann in the accusative case here?
The verb þurfa (to need) requires its direct object to be in the accusative case. Because the conjunction ekki bara... heldur líka (not only... but also) connects two noun phrases that share the same grammatical role, they both act as the object of þurfum and must therefore match in case.
Can I drop líka and just say heldur korktappatogarann?
While you can drop líka, doing so slightly weakens the "additive" feeling. The full phrase ekki bara... heldur líka... directly translates to "not only... but also...". If you use heldur alone, it often leans more toward "but rather", though in this context the "not only" (ekki bara) already sets up the addition. Still, keeping líka is the most natural way to emphasize that you need both items.
How exactly is the long word korktappatogarann put together?
It is a compound noun made of three distinct parts: korkur (cork), tappi (plug or stopper), and togari (puller or trawler). Here, the final part togari is in the accusative definite form (togara + -nn), literally translating to "the cork-plug-puller".
Why does the definite article look like -nn at the end of these words instead of -inn?
Both base words end in the suffix -ari (dósaupnari and korktappatogari), which marks them as weak masculine nouns. In the accusative case, that ending changes to -a (dósaupnara). When you attach the masculine accusative definite article (-inn), the i is dropped because the noun already ends in a vowel, leaving you with just -nn.
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