Breakdown of Börnin urðu fyrir miklum áhrifum af myndinni.
myndin
the picture
barnið
the child
mikill
great, much (adjective)
áhrifin
the effects
verða fyrir
to be subjected to, to suffer (+ Dative)
Questions & Answers about Börnin urðu fyrir miklum áhrifum af myndinni.
Why use urðu fyrir here instead of a passive verb like "were affected"?
In Icelandic, it is very common to use the phrase verða fyrir (literally "to become before," but meaning "to be subjected to" or "to experience") with abstract nouns instead of a direct passive verb. You verður fyrir áhrifum (are subjected to effects) rather than being "affected."
Does the preposition fyrir always take the dative case as it does here with miklum áhrifum?
No, fyrir can take either the accusative or the dative. While it often takes the accusative when indicating movement, the fixed phrase verða fyrir specifically requires the dative case for the thing you are subjected to.
The English translation implies a singular concept ("strongly affected"). Why is áhrifum in the plural?
Why is af used for "by" the film instead of a word like frá?
Af is the correct preposition here because it indicates the underlying cause or source of the effect. Frá is generally used for physical movement away from a place or to specify the sender of a message, whereas af is standard for passive-like constructions showing what caused an impact.
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