Breakdown of Í stað þess að horfa á sjónvarpið les hún bók.
bókin
the book
lesa
to read
horfa
to watch
sjónvarpið
the television
Questions & Answers about Í stað þess að horfa á sjónvarpið les hún bók.
Why do we need þess in the phrase í stað þess að?
The phrase í stað governs the genitive case. When connecting it to an action (an infinitive phrase starting with að), Icelandic bridges them with the dummy pronoun það in its genitive form, þess. It literally translates to "In place of that to watch..."
Why is the word order les hún instead of hún les?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire first clause, Í stað þess að horfa á sjónvarpið, occupies the first slot in the sentence. Therefore, the main verb les must immediately follow it in the second slot, pushing the subject hún after the verb.
The English translation says "watching television," but sjónvarpið has the definite article. Why?
In Icelandic, it is idiomatic to use the definite article when talking about interacting with mass media in a general sense. You say að horfa á sjónvarpið (to watch the TV) and að hlusta á útvarpið (to listen to the radio).
Could I use að sjá instead of að horfa á here?
No, að sjá means "to see" in the sense of passively noticing something or having the physical ability to see. Because watching television is an active, focused action, you must use að horfa á.