Breakdown of Nágrannarnir í húsfélaginu hafa ekki þekkst lengi.
ekki
not
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
lengi
for a long time
hafa
to have
nágranninn
the neighbor
húsfélagið
the housing association
þekkjast
to know each other
Questions & Answers about Nágrannarnir í húsfélaginu hafa ekki þekkst lengi.
Why is the verb þekkst instead of just þekkt?
The -st ending gives the verb a reciprocal meaning, which translates to "each other." While þekkja means "to know [someone]," the middle voice form þekkjast means "to know each other."
How do we build the "have known" form with an -st verb here?
You use a form of hafa (have) plus the supine (the form of the verb used with "have"). The regular active supine is þekkt (known). To make it reciprocal, you just add the -st ending directly to it, making it þekkst.
Why is húsfélaginu in the dative case here?
The preposition í (in) triggers the dative case when it describes a static location or situation with no movement. Since the neighbors are simply existing within the housing association, húsfélag takes the dative form and adds the attached definite article, becoming húsfélaginu.
What is the literal translation of húsfélag?
It is a compound word made up of hús (house) and félag (association or society). A húsfélag is a housing association, which is the standard way apartment buildings in Iceland manage shared maintenance and costs.
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