Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Ég er svangur aftur, en ég er ekki þyrstur.

Aftur means “again” in Icelandic. Its inclusion indicates that the speaker’s hunger is recurring—suggesting that they were hungry before and now the feeling has returned.

How do the adjectives svangur and þyrstur function in this sentence, and why are they in masculine form?

Both adjectives describe the state of the subject ég (I). Svangur means “hungry” and þyrstur means “thirsty.” They appear in the masculine nominative form because adjectives in Icelandic must agree in gender with the noun they modify. In this case, if the speaker is male or if the default masculine is used, these forms are appropriate. A female speaker would use the feminine forms (such as svöng and þyrst).

How is negation expressed in this sentence, particularly with the word ekki?

Icelandic uses ekki to form negations. In this sentence, it is placed before þyrstur to indicate that the speaker is “not thirsty.” This pattern—using ekki to negate an adjective or verb—is similar in purpose to placing “not” before adjectives in English, even though the word order and rules for negation differ between the two languages.

Why is the sentence divided into two clauses connected by en, and what does this structure tell us?

The sentence is split into two independent clauses. The first clause, "Ég er svangur aftur," states the condition of being hungry again, while the second clause, "en ég er ekki þyrstur," contrasts it by stating the lack of thirst. The conjunction en means “but,” and its use here highlights the contrast between the two states. This structure is analogous to using two independent clauses connected by “but” in English.

What should an English speaker note about the placement of adverbs and the overall word order in this sentence?

While the overall subject-verb-adjective order is similar to English, there are some key differences. For example, the adverb aftur follows the adjective svangur, which might seem unusual to English speakers who are used to adverbs preceding adjectives or verbs. Additionally, adjectives in Icelandic must be declined according to gender, number, and case—a grammatical consideration that does not exist in English.

Why is there a comma before en in this sentence?

The comma before en is used to clearly separate the two independent clauses. This punctuation not only marks a natural pause but also emphasizes the contrast between the statement about being hungry and the statement about not being thirsty. While punctuation rules can vary between languages, use of a comma in this way is common in Icelandic when two contrasting clauses are joined by a conjunction like en.