Það er gaman hér.

to be

Breakdown of Það er gaman hér.

• hér: here
• það: it
• gaman: fun

Questions & Answers about Það er gaman hér.

Why does Það appear at the beginning of the sentence?

In Icelandic, sentences that state a general condition or observation often start with Það as a placeholder subject. It doesn’t refer to anything specific but helps form the statement.

What part of speech is gaman in this sentence?

Here, gaman is functioning more like a noun meaning "fun" (but it is related to an adjective form as well). The phrase Það er gaman hér literally conveys something like "It is fun here" without identifying a particular doer of the action.

Why do we say hér instead of hérna or other words for "here"?

Both hér and hérna can mean "here," but hér tends to be slightly more formal or neutral, while hérna can be more casual or specify that something is closer. In this context, hér is perfectly natural for a general statement like "It’s fun here."

How do I change this sentence to past tense?

Simply change er to its past-tense form var:
Það var gaman hér.
This means "It was fun here."

Is there a direct English equivalent for Það er gaman hér?

A close translation is It's fun here, but remember that Icelandic often uses Það in sentences to introduce a statement, which can differ slightly from English constructions.