Breakdown of Ég fresta ferðinni skyndilega af því að veðrið er ekki gott.
vera
to be
ég
I
góður
good
ekki
not
veðrið
the weather
af því að
because
ferðin
the trip
fresta
to postpone
skyndilega
suddenly
Questions & Answers about Ég fresta ferðinni skyndilega af því að veðrið er ekki gott.
Why is ferðinni in the dative case here?
The verb fresta (to postpone) is a verb that strictly requires its object to be in the dative case. Because of this, the nominative word ferðin (the trip) changes to its dative form, ferðinni.
In the subordinate clause (af því að veðrið er ekki gott), why is ekki placed right after er?
In Icelandic, the word order in subordinate clauses generally stays the same as in main clauses. The subject (veðrið) comes first, followed by the verb (er), and then the negative adverb (ekki). Even in this subordinate clause, ekki does not shift in front of the conjugated verb.
How does the phrase af því að work?
This is the standard way to say 'because' in Icelandic. While it literally translates to 'of it that' (af = of, því = it in the dative case, að = that), you should treat these three words together as a single fixed conjunction that introduces the reason.
Why do we use gott instead of the dictionary form góður?
Adjectives must always match the gender of the noun they describe. Because veðrið (the weather) is a neuter noun, the adjective takes the neuter singular form gott instead of the masculine form góður.
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