Breakdown of Hún er að verja unga fórnarlambið.
vera
to be
hún
she
ungur
young
að
to (infinitive marker)
verja
to defend
fórnarlambið
the victim
Questions & Answers about Hún er að verja unga fórnarlambið.
Why is the adjective unga rather than ungt here?
Because the noun it describes, fórnarlambið, has the definite article attached to it (-ið). When an adjective comes before a definite noun, it must use the weak declension. For a neuter noun like fórnarlamb, the weak ending is -a in all singular cases!
What case is unga fórnarlambið in?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb verja (to defend). As a neuter word, fórnarlamb looks the same in the accusative as it does in the nominative, and its weak adjective unga also stays the same.
How is the word fórnarlambið built?
It is a compound word made of fórn (sacrifice) and lambið (the lamb). Literally meaning 'the sacrificial lamb', this is the standard Icelandic word for a victim.
Could I just say Hún ver unga fórnarlambið?
Yes, but that translates more to 'She defends the young victim' as a general fact. Using er að verja is the continuous form you learned earlier. It emphasizes that she is actively in the middle of defending the victim right now.
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