Breakdown of Strákurinn á að taka til.
strákurinn
the boy
að
to (infinitive marker)
eiga að
to be supposed to
taka til
to tidy up
Questions & Answers about Strákurinn á að taka til.
Why does the verb á mean 'is supposed to' here instead of 'owns'?
The verb eiga usually means 'to own' or 'to have.' However, when you pair it with að and an infinitive verb (like taka), it becomes a modal verb expressing obligation. It translates to 'is supposed to' or 'ought to.'
Why are we using taka til for 'tidy up'? Doesn't taka mean 'take'?
Yes, taka on its own means 'to take.' But when combined with the word til, it creates a phrasal verb. Together, taka til specifically means 'to tidy up' or 'to clean a room.' Icelandic uses a lot of these verb combinations that change the original meaning!
Wait, isn't á also a preposition meaning 'on'? How do I tell the difference?
You are right that á is a very common preposition meaning 'on' or 'in.' Here, it is the conjugated form of the verb eiga. You can tell it is a verb because it comes right after the subject (Strákurinn) in the second position of the sentence, which is exactly where the main verb belongs.
Does the subject change case when using eiga að for obligation?
No, it stays in the nominative case! Some verbs in Icelandic force the subject into a different case, but eiga keeps its subject in the basic nominative form. That is why we use Strákurinn (the boy) without any changes.
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