Breakdown of Af hverju talist þið aldrei við í stigaganginum?
þið
you (plural)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
aldrei
never
af hverju
why
stigagangurinn
the stairwell
talast við
to speak to each other
Questions & Answers about Af hverju talist þið aldrei við í stigaganginum?
Why is the verb talist instead of just talið?
The -st ending here makes the verb reciprocal, meaning doing something to each other. While the active form talið just means you speak, adding -st to make it talist for the þið form changes the meaning to you speak to each other.
Why is the word við included here if talist already means speak to each other?
The base phrase for speak to someone is tala við. When you add the -st ending to make it reciprocal, the preposition við does not disappear. It stays in the sentence to complete the phrase, often sitting right after the subject or adverb.
Why does the subject þið come after the verb talist?
This is because the sentence starts with the question phrase Af hverju (why). Icelandic strictly follows the V2 rule, meaning the verb must be in the second logical position. To keep the verb in the second slot, it swaps places with the subject þið.
Why does stigaganginum end in -inum?
The base word is stigagangur, meaning stairwell. The -inum ending is the attached definite article (the) in the dative case. The preposition í requires the dative case here because it describes a static location where an action happens, rather than movement towards a new place.
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