Breakdown of Tónleikarnir féllu niður út af rafmagnsleysinu.
tónleikarnir
the concert
út af
because of (+ dative)
falla niður
to be cancelled
rafmagnsleysið
the power outage
Questions & Answers about Tónleikarnir féllu niður út af rafmagnsleysinu.
Why is the word for 'the concert' plural (Tónleikarnir) when it was just one event?
In Icelandic, the word for concert, tónleikar, is always plural, even when you are talking about a single event. Because the noun is plural, the verb must also take the plural form, which is why we see féllu instead of the singular féll.
Does féllu niður literally mean 'fell down'?
Literally, yes! The base phrase is að falla niður (to fall down). However, when talking about events, classes, or plans, it is the standard Icelandic idiom for 'to be cancelled' or 'to fall through'.
Why does rafmagnsleysi end with -nu in this sentence?
The preposition út af (because of) forces the following noun into the dative case. The base neuter word is rafmagnsleysi (power outage). The -nu at the end is the dative form of the definite article ('the') attached to the end of the word, making it rafmagnsleysinu.
What are the parts of the compound word rafmagnsleysinu?
It is made of rafmagn, which means 'electricity', a connecting -s-, and leysi, which means a 'lack' or 'shortage'. So it literally translates to 'the lack of electricity'.
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