Contrast and Concession Markers

When you want to turn an argument against itself — it's expensive; still, I'll buy it — Icelandic gives you a rich set of contrast and concession markers. Most are adverbs, which (because Icelandic is verb-second) means fronting them inverts the verb and subject. One of them, þó, has an evil twin: the look-alike þó að, which is not an adverb at all but a conjunction with a different meaning. Confusing the two produces errors in both syntax and meaning, and it's one of the most common B1-level mix-ups. This page lays out the markers, then dwells on the þó / þó að distinction until it's airtight.

(Concessive subordinate clauses with subjunctive mood — the deeper grammar of þótt hann sé ríkur… — belong to the Verbs section. Here we stay at the discourse level: which marker, what position, and what inversion follows.)

The adverbial contrast markers

These are sentence adverbs that pivot the discourse. Fronting any of them throws the verb to second position, ahead of the subject.

hins vegar — on the other hand

Hins vegar sets up a two-sided contrast: this, on the one hand; that, on the other. It's the backbone of balanced writing. Fronted, it inverts.

The second example shows the flexibility: parked inside the clause, hins vegar triggers no inversion; only fronting does. (Its partner aftur á móti behaves identically and is interchangeable in most contexts.)

samt and samt sem áður — still, nevertheless

Samt ("still, nevertheless, anyway") concedes the previous point and presses on regardless. It's extremely common and can sit at the front, in the middle, or — very characteristically — at the end of the clause. The fuller samt sem áður ("nevertheless," literally "still as before") is a touch more emphatic.

engu að síður and þrátt fyrir það

Engu að síður ("nonetheless," literally "none the less") is the (formal), written-register cousin of samt. Þrátt fyrir það ("despite that") points back to a whole preceding situation. Note that þrátt fyrir alone is a preposition taking a noun in the accusative (þrátt fyrir rigninguna "despite the rain"); add það and it becomes the backward-pointing discourse marker.

The big one: þó (adverb) vs þó að (conjunction)

Now the trap. Icelandic has two different words that both sit near English "though," and they belong to different word classes with different grammar:

• þó alone is a sentence adverb meaning "however, nonetheless, though." It modifies a main clause. Fronted, it inverts; it also loves the end of the clause.
• þó að (and its single-word equivalent þótt) is a subordinating conjunction meaning "although, even though." It introduces a subordinate clause — and that clause typically takes the subjunctive.

These are not stylistic variants. Use the wrong one and the sentence is either ungrammatical or means something else.

Look at the pair side by side. Ég kaupi það *þó* ends a main clause with the adverb: "I'll buy it, nonetheless." *Ég kaupi það þótt það sé dýrt* uses the conjunction to attach a whole subordinate clause: "I'll buy it although it's expensive." The adverb þó connects you back to a previous statement; the conjunction þó að / þótt hangs a new clause off the main one and pulls in the subjunctive.

A reliable structural giveaway: the conjunction þó að is always followed by a clause (subject + verb), and that verb is normally subjunctive (sé, væri, hafi). The adverb þó is not followed by a clause of its own — it just colours the main clause it sits in. If there's a full subordinate clause after it, you needed þó að / þótt; if there isn't, you wanted the bare adverb þó.

Word order and inversion, summed up

Every adverbial marker on this page obeys the same V2 logic from the discourse overview: front it and the verb inverts; bury it mid- or end-clause and it doesn't. English does the opposite — "However, it is expensive" keeps the subject first. This is the mechanical error to watch for.

English vs Icelandic

English packs "though" into one word that does double duty: "It's expensive, though" (adverb, end of clause) and "Though it's expensive, I'll buy it" (conjunction). Icelandic splits that single English word into two forms — adverb þó and conjunction þó að / þótt — and the conjunction additionally demands the subjunctive. So an English speaker's instinct to use "one word for though" is precisely what produces the error. You must decide, every time, whether you're adding a backward-pointing nonetheless (adverb) or opening an although clause (conjunction + subjunctive). Beyond that, remember the inversion: fronted contrast markers flip verb and subject, which English never does.

Common Mistakes

Bare þó can't introduce a subordinate clause. For "although + clause," use þó að (or þótt) and put that verb in the subjunctive.

The mirror error: þó að must be followed by a clause. If you just want clause-final "though / nonetheless," it's the bare adverb þó.

Front hins vegar and the verb must come second — er það, not það er.

Multi-word markers count as a single first element; fronting samt sem áður still inverts.

Þrátt fyrir það fronts like any other discourse adverb, so the verb inverts to second position.

Key Takeaways

• Contrast markers are mostly adverbs: hins vegar, aftur á móti, samt (sem áður), engu að síður, þrátt fyrir það — and fronting any of them inverts the verb and subject (V2).
• þó (adverb) = "however, nonetheless"; it colours a main clause and loves the clause-final slot. Fronted, it inverts.
• þó að / þótt (conjunction) = "although"; it opens a subordinate clause whose verb is normally subjunctive.
• English's single "though" splits into these two Icelandic forms — choosing wrong breaks both syntax and meaning.
• samt can go front, middle, or end; engu að síður is the (formal) register; þrátt fyrir
  • accusative is a preposition, þrátt fyrir það the backward-pointing marker.