Bankakortið er gamalt, en það virkar.

to be

Breakdown of Bankakortið er gamalt, en það virkar.

• það: it
• gamall: old
• en: but
• virka: to work
• bankakortið: the bank card

Questions & Answers about Bankakortið er gamalt, en það virkar.

Why is there a -ið at the end of bankakortið?

• Icelandic attaches the definite article to the end of the noun.
• For neuter nouns, the singular definite ending is -ið.
• So bankakort = “a bank card,” and bankakortið = “the bank card.”
• Parallel endings: masculine -inn (e.g., stóllinn “the chair”), feminine -in (e.g., bókin “the book”), neuter -ið (e.g., húsið “the house”).

Why is the adjective gamalt (with -t) and not gamall or gamla?

• Adjectives agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case.
• Bankakortið is neuter singular nominative, so the predicative adjective must also be neuter singular nominative, which is gamalt.
• Base forms of “old”: masculine gamall, feminine gömul, neuter gamalt (strong forms).

But the noun is definite—shouldn’t the adjective be the “weak” form (like gamla)?

• After the verb to be (vera), adjectives are predicative and use the strong form, regardless of definiteness: Bankakortið er gamalt.
• The weak form appears when the adjective is attributive (placed before a definite noun): hitt gamla bankakortið or Gamla bankakortið.

How would I say “The old bank card works” (adjective before the noun)?

• Gamla bankakortið virkar.
• Here gamla is the weak form because the adjective directly modifies a definite noun.

Why do we use það for “it”? Could it be hann or hún?

• Pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they refer to.
• Kort (card) is neuter, so use það (“it”).
• Use hann (he/it) for masculine nouns and hún (she/it) for feminine nouns.

Can I drop það and just say “… en virkar,” like English “… but works”?

• No. Standard Icelandic is not a “null-subject” language. You normally need an explicit subject in each finite clause.
• Keep það: … en það virkar.

What does en mean, and why is there a comma before it?

• en means but.
• In Icelandic, a comma is typically used before en when it links two independent clauses: … er gamalt, en …

What verb form is virkar, and how do I conjugate virka?

• virkar is 3rd person singular present of að virka (“to work, function”).
• Present:
  • ég virka
  • þú virkar
  • hann/hún/það virkar
  • við virkum
  • þið virkið
  • þeir/þær/þau virka
• Simple past: virkaði (e.g., Það virkaði = “It worked.”)

What is the word order here? Is Icelandic verb-second?

• Yes, main clauses are verb-second (V2).
• Clause 1: Bankakortið (1st position) er (2nd) gamalt.
• Clause 2: það (1st) virkar (2nd).
• If you front something else, the finite verb still stays in 2nd: Í dag virkar það (“Today it works”).

How is bankakortið formed? Why banka- and not banki-?

• It’s a compound: banki (bank) + kort (card) → bankakort.
• The first element often appears in a linking/genitive-like form: banki → banka-.
• Then add the definite ending for neuter: bankakortið.

What case are bankakortið and gamalt in?

• bankakortið is the subject, so it’s in the nominative case.
• Predicative adjectives agree with the subject, so gamalt is nominative neuter singular as well.

How do I pronounce the tricky letters (þ and ð) and some clusters here?

• þ is like unvoiced “th” in “think.”
• ð is like voiced “th” in “this.”
• það starts with þ and ends with ð: think “th…(a)…this-sound.”
• nk in banka- sounds like “ngk” (as in English “bank”).
• r is rolled/tapped; k and t are typically aspirated in these positions.

How would I say “The bank card is old, but it still works”?

• Bankakortið er gamalt, en það virkar ennþá.
• You can also say … en það virkar samt, which feels like “but it works anyway/nevertheless.”

Could I use þó (“though”) instead of en (“but”)?

• Yes, but the structure changes because þó (að) introduces a subordinate clause and typically takes the subjunctive:
  • Bankakortið er gamalt, þó að það virki. (“…though it work-subj.”)
• With en, you keep two main clauses: … gamalt, en það virkar.