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Reikningurinn kostar mikið, svo við borgum saman.

Reikningurinn kostar mikið, svo við borgum saman.
The bill costs a lot, so we pay together.
FromLesson 14inHardcore Icelandic
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Breakdown of Reikningurinn kostar mikið, svo við borgum saman.

við
we
saman
together
borga
to pay
svo
so
kosta
to cost
mikið
a lot
reikningurinn
the bill

Questions & Answers about Reikningurinn kostar mikið, svo við borgum saman.

Why is the article attached at the end in reikningurinn instead of a separate word like “the bill”?

Icelandic uses a suffixed definite article. The base noun is reikningur (a bill/invoice). To say “the bill,” you add the definite ending:

  • Nominative singular definite: reikningur + inn → reikningurinn. So reikningurinn literally means “bill-the,” i.e., “the bill.”
What case is reikningurinn, and why not reikninginn?

Here it’s the subject of the sentence, so it must be nominative: reikningurinn (nom. sg. def.).
Reikninginn is accusative (used for a direct object), e.g., Við borgum reikninginn (“We pay the bill”). As a subject, you cannot use the accusative.

How would I say “We pay the bill together”?

Use the direct object in the accusative and keep saman after the object:

  • Við borgum reikninginn saman.
    Placing the adverb last (after the object) is the most natural order.
What does kostar mikið literally mean, and could I also say er dýr?
  • Kostar mikið = “costs a lot.” Here mikið is an adverb meaning “a lot/much.”
  • Er dýr = “is expensive” (adjective).
    Both are natural; kostar mikið focuses on the price amount, er dýr on the inherent expensiveness. You can intensify either: kostar mjög mikið / er mjög dýr.
Is mikið an adverb here? What’s the difference from mikill?

Yes. Mikið here modifies the verb kostar and means “a lot/much.”
Mikill is the adjective “great/big/much” and agrees with nouns (e.g., mikill kostnaður “great cost”). The neuter singular of the adjective (mikið) is also used adverbially, which is what you see here.

What does svo mean in this sentence, and are there alternatives?

Here svo means “so/therefore.” Common alternatives:

  • þess vegna = “therefore”
  • þannig að = “so (that)/such that” introducing a result clause
  • svo að = “so that” (purpose or result; more explicit than bare svo)
    The tone varies slightly, but all can communicate a result.
Why is there a comma before svo?
Because it links two independent clauses. In Icelandic, a comma is commonly used before coordinating links like resultative svo. Style guides vary, but your comma is standard.
Why borgum and not borga? And why kostar?

Present tense endings:

  • borga (to pay): ég borga, þú borgar, hann/hún/það borgar, við borgum, þið borgið, þeir/þær/þau borga.
  • kosta (to cost): ég kosta, þú kostar, hann kostar, við kostum, þið kostið, þeir kosta.
    So it’s við borgum (1pl) and reikningurinn kostar (3sg).
Can the Icelandic present describe a near-future plan (“so we’ll pay together”)?
Yes. Icelandic often uses the present for planned/inevitable near-future actions when the context makes the time clear. So svo við borgum saman can mean “so we pay/will pay together.”
Can I start a new sentence with Svo?

Yes. Very natural:

  • Reikningurinn kostar mikið. Svo borgum við saman.
    Remember verb-second order after Svo: borgum comes before við.
Where does saman go? Can I put it before the object?

Preferred position is after the object:

  • Best: Við borgum reikninginn saman.
  • Acceptable (no object): Við borgum saman.
  • Less natural: Við borgum saman reikninginn. (Icelandic tends to keep adverbs after the object.)
How do I say “split the bill” more explicitly?
  • Við skiptum reikningnum. (“We split the bill.”)
    Note: skipta governs the dative, so it’s reikningnum (not accusative). Other options:
  • Við skiptum kostnaðinum.
  • Informal: Við splittum reikningnum. (colloquial loanword)
What’s the difference between reikningur and kvittun?
  • Reikningur = the bill/check/invoice you’re asked to pay.
  • Kvittun = the receipt you get after paying.
Any quick pronunciation tips for the sentence?
  • Stress the first syllable of each word: REIK-ning-urinn, KOS-tar, MÍK-ið, SVO, VIÐ, BOR-gum, SA-man.
  • ei in reik- like English “ay” in “day.”
  • ð in við is like English “th” in “this.”
  • í in mikið is a long “ee” sound.
  • Consonant clusters (like -kn- in reikning-) are fully pronounced; keep them crisp.
Could I say kostar svo mikið?

Yes, but it means “costs so much” (emphatic “so”), not just “a lot.”

  • Neutral: kostar mikið (“costs a lot”)
  • Emphatic: kostar svo mikið (“costs so much”)
Can I change the word order to emphasize the cost?

Yes, Icelandic allows fronting for emphasis while keeping the finite verb second:

  • Mikið kostar reikningurinn, svo við borgum saman.
    This puts focus on how much it costs, but the neutral order in your sentence is more common in everyday speech.

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