Breakdown of Hann frestaði vígslunni til þess að varðmaðurinn bjargaði öllum nema henni.
hún
she
hann
he
allur
all / everything / everyone
fresta
to postpone
nema
except, unless
bjarga
to rescue, to save (+ Dative)
til þess að
so that (in order to)
varðmaðurinn
the guard (watchman, sentry)
vígslan
the initiation
Questions & Answers about Hann frestaði vígslunni til þess að varðmaðurinn bjargaði öllum nema henni.
Why is henni in the dative case after nema?
The word nema (except) does not assign a case on its own. Instead, the exception matches the case of the group it is excluded from. Here, she is being excluded from öllum (everyone). Because the verb bjarga (to save) dictates the dative case for its object (öllum), the exception henni must also be in the dative.
Is bjargaði in the indicative or subjunctive mood here?
It is in the past subjunctive. The conjunction til þess að (so that / in order to) expresses purpose and always triggers the subjunctive mood for the verb in the following clause. While the past indicative and past subjunctive forms of bjarga look identical in the third person singular, its grammatical function here is subjunctive.
Why is vígslunni in the dative case?
The verb fresta (to postpone) always governs the dative case. Therefore, the noun vígsla (initiation or ceremony) takes its dative definite form, vígslunni.
Could we shorten til þess að to just til að in this sentence?
No, because it introduces a full subordinate clause with a new subject (varðmaðurinn). You must use the full phrase til þess að when followed by a subject and a conjugated verb. You can only shorten it to til að when it is followed directly by a verb in the infinitive (for example, Hann frestaði því til að bjarga henni).
Learn Hann frestaði vígslunni til þess að varðmaðurinn bjargaði öllum nema henni and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free