Word
Hver á að fara út með ruslið?
Meaning
Who is supposed to go out with the trash?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Hver á að fara út með ruslið?
hver
who / what / which (one)
fara
to go
að
to (infinitive marker)
með
with
Questions & Answers about Hver á að fara út með ruslið?
Why does the verb eiga (to own) mean 'supposed to' in this sentence?
When the verb eiga is followed by að and an infinitive verb (like fara), it changes from meaning 'to own' to expressing an obligation. The pattern eiga að means 'to be supposed to' or 'ought to'.
Why is the form á used after hver?
The question word hver (who) is treated as a third-person singular subject, just like 'he' or 'she'. The verb eiga is irregular, and its third-person singular form in the present tense is á.
Why does the sentence say fara út með (go out with) instead of using a specific verb for 'take'?
Icelandic frequently uses a verb of motion plus the preposition með (with) to express bringing or taking something. Fara með literally means 'go with', but it is the most natural way to say 'take' or 'carry' in this context.
Why is ruslið (the trash) in the accusative case here instead of the dative?
The preposition með can take either the accusative or dative case. When it involves moving, directing, or carrying an object from one place to another, as seen with the verb fara, með requires the accusative case.