Ég borða fisk, en mér finnst kjöt betra.

I eat fish, but I find meat better.

Breakdown of Ég borða fisk, en mér finnst kjöt betra.

• ég: I
• borða: to eat
• fiskurinn: the fish
• en: but
• kjötið: the meat
• betri: better

Questions & Answers about Ég borða fisk, en mér finnst kjöt betra.

Why is mér used in “mér finnst kjöt betra” instead of the nominative ég?

In Icelandic, verbs that express personal opinions or perceptions—like finnst (“seems” or “finds”)—require the experiencer to be in the dative case. So instead of using the subject form ég (“I”), the language uses mér to indicate “to me” and highlight that it’s a personal judgment.

How is the sentence structured, particularly in the clause “mér finnst kjöt betra”?

The clause follows a common Icelandic pattern. mér (the dative pronoun expressing the person who feels the opinion) comes first, followed by the linking verb finnst. Then kjöt betra provides the evaluative predicate (“meat is better”). In essence, the clause translates to “I find meat better,” using a structure where the opinion is indirectly expressed via a dative experiencer.

Why is the adjective form betra used instead of, say, betri?

Adjectives in Icelandic must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. The noun kjöt (meat) is neuter, so the correct form of “better” in this context is the neuter betra. If the noun were masculine or feminine, a different form (like betri) would be required.

What role does the conjunction en play in this sentence?

The conjunction en means “but” and is used here to join two contrasting ideas. The first clause, Ég borða fisk (“I eat fish”), states a fact, while the second clause, mér finnst kjöt betra (“I think meat is better”), expresses a contrasting opinion. en links these clauses to show that despite eating fish, the speaker prefers meat.

How is the verb borða functioning in “Ég borða fisk,” and what does its form tell us?

The verb borða means “to eat” and is conjugated in the first-person singular present tense in this sentence. With Ég (“I”) as the subject, borða indicates the habitual action “I eat,” making the statement direct and simple.

Why is there no article before fisk in the phrase “Ég borða fisk”?

In Icelandic, it is common to use bare nouns without definite or indefinite articles, especially when discussing things in a general sense. Here, fisk is used without an article to refer to fish in general, similar to the English statement “I eat fish.”