Breakdown of Hún kvartar aldrei yfir veðrinu.
hún
she
veðrið
the weather
aldrei
never
yfir
past / over, across
kvarta
to complain
Questions & Answers about Hún kvartar aldrei yfir veðrinu.
Why do we use yfir here for "about"? Doesn't um usually mean "about"?
While um often translates to "about" (like in tala um, to talk about), the verb að kvarta (to complain) specifically pairs with the preposition yfir. In Icelandic, you "complain over" something.
Why is veðrinu in the dative case here?
The preposition yfir can take either the accusative or the dative case. When it is used in the fixed phrase kvarta yfir, it always forces the following noun into the dative case. The neuter noun veður (weather) in the dative with the attached "the" article becomes veðrinu.
Could I put aldrei at the end of the sentence?
It is much more natural to put short adverbs like aldrei (never) immediately after the verb in a main clause. Saying Hún kvartar yfir veðrinu aldrei would sound unnatural in Icelandic.
If I wanted to say "The weather that she never complains about," how does yfir work in that relative clause?
This is exactly where preposition stranding happens! You would say Veðrið sem hún kvartar aldrei yfir. Just like in this lesson's examples, the preposition yfir is left "stranded" at the end of the relative clause, far away from the word it refers to (veðrið).
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