Breakdown of Á ég að athuga breytinguna?
ég
I
að
to (infinitive marker)
eiga
to own / to have (a relationship)
athuga
to check (examine, verify)
Questions & Answers about Á ég að athuga breytinguna?
Why do we use á to mean "should" in this sentence?
Á is the "I" form of the verb eiga (to own or have). When it is paired with að and another verb (like athuga), the phrase eiga að means "should", "ought to", or "is supposed to". Asking Á ég að... is the standard Icelandic way to say "Should I...".
Why does the word for "the change" end in -una (breytinguna)?
The verb athuga (to check) takes a direct object in the accusative case. The noun breyting (change) is feminine. In the accusative case, it changes to breytingu, and adding the feminine accusative definite article ("the") makes it breytinguna.
Why is að placed before athuga?
Að is the infinitive marker, similar to "to" in English. The phrase eiga að always requires að to connect the helping verb to the main action verb in its infinitive (dictionary) form, which is athuga (to check).
Since this lesson is about indirect questions, how would I use hvort to say "He asks whether I should check the change?"
You would use hvort (whether) to link the phrases, which forces the verb á into its subjunctive form, eigi. The full sentence becomes: Hann spyr hvort ég eigi að athuga breytinguna.