Breakdown of Við þurfum að stytta hann.
hann
he
við
we
að
to (infinitive marker)
þurfa
to need
stytta
to shorten
Questions & Answers about Við þurfum að stytta hann.
Why does the sentence use hann for "it"? Doesn't hann mean "he"?
It does! But in Icelandic, pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they are replacing. Since "it" is translated as hann here, the object being shortened is a masculine noun (for example, kjóll for "dress" or texti for "text"). If we were talking about a neuter object, we would use það.
Is the verb stytta (to shorten) related to the word for "short"?
Yes! It comes from the adjective stuttur (short). Icelandic often creates verbs out of adjectives by changing the root vowel (here, u changes to y) and adding a verb ending. This is a very common pattern for forming verbs that mean "to make [adjective]."
Why do we need að between þurfum and stytta?
The word að is the infinitive marker, just like "to" in the English "need to shorten." While some helper verbs in Icelandic (like vilja or geta) connect directly to the next verb without að, the verb þurfa (to need) always requires að before the following infinitive verb.
What case is the pronoun hann in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb stytta (the thing being shortened). For the masculine pronoun, the nominative (subject) and accusative (object) forms are exactly the same: hann.
If I wanted to use an adverb of degree like mikið (a lot), where would it go?
You would generally put it at the very end of the sentence. To say "We need to shorten it a lot," you would say Við þurfum að stytta hann mikið. Adverbs of degree typically follow the verb and its direct object.
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