Lestin sem fer vestur er sein.

The train that goes west is late.

Breakdown of Lestin sem fer vestur er sein.

• vera: to be
• fara: to go
• lestin: the train
• sem: that

Questions & Answers about Lestin sem fer vestur er sein.

What does the -in ending in lestin signify?

The -in is the definite article attached to the noun. lest means “a train,” while lestin means “the train.” In Icelandic, definiteness is shown by suffixing the article to the noun rather than using a separate word like the.

Why is sem used after lestin? Could we drop it, as English often drops “that”?

sem is the invariable relative pronoun in Icelandic (covering English “that,” “which,” “who”). You cannot drop it; Icelandic requires a relative pronoun before a relative clause.

Why is there no comma before sem?

Icelandic does not set off restrictive relative clauses with commas. The clause sem fer vestur (“that goes west”) is integrated directly into the noun phrase.

Why is vestur not preceded by til, as in til vesturs?

With motion verbs like fara (“to go”), you can either say fara vestur (use vestur as an indeclinable adverb) or fara til vesturs (a prepositional phrase using the genitive). Both are correct; the shorter form is very common in speech and writing.

Is vestur a noun or an adverb here?