Breakdown of Ég útskýri gagnrýnina eftir umræðuna.
ég
I
eftir
after / for (waiting for)
umræðan
the discussion
útskýra
to explain
gagnrýnin
the criticism
Questions & Answers about Ég útskýri gagnrýnina eftir umræðuna.
What are the two parts that make up the verb útskýra?
It is built from út (out) and skýra (to clarify or make clear). Think of it as "clearing out" the confusion around a topic!
Gagnrýni ends in -i. Doesn't that usually mean it's a neuter noun?
While many neuter nouns end in -i (like epli), gagnrýni is actually a feminine noun. It belongs to a group of feminine nouns that do not change their endings in the singular indefinite cases (meaning the nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive are all simply gagnrýni). In this sentence, it is the direct object of the verb, so we see its definite accusative form: gagnrýnina (the criticism).
Wait, shouldn't eftir take the dative case when talking about time? Why is it eftir umræðuna (accusative)?
You have a great eye! Strictly speaking, eftir (after) should take the dative case here, which would be eftir umræðunni. However, because its opposite fyrir (before) takes the accusative for time, many native speakers accidentally mirror this and use the accusative for both. This is a very common colloquial habit in modern Icelandic. As a learner, it is safer to stick to the dative, but you will absolutely hear the accusative used this way in daily speech!
How would I say "after another discussion" using the strict dative grammar for eftir taught in this lesson?
What if I wanted to say "after some discussions"?
To say "after some discussions" using correct dative grammar, you need the dative plural form of sumur (some), which is sumum. The phrase becomes eftir sumum umræðum. The dative plural ending -um applies to both the pronoun and the noun!
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