Breakdown of Háskólinn sem hún lærir í er stór.
vera
to be
stór
big
hún
she
í
at
sem
that
háskólinn
the university
læra
to study
Questions & Answers about Háskólinn sem hún lærir í er stór.
What does the ending in Háskólinn mean?
The ending -inn is the suffixed definite article for masculine nouns. So:
- háskóli = a university
- háskólinn = the university Icelandic usually attaches the article to the noun rather than using a separate word like “the.”
Why is the preposition í at the end of the relative clause (sem hún lærir í)?
Icelandic allows (and in relative clauses with sem, strongly prefers) preposition stranding: the preposition stays at the end of the clause. This is very natural: maðurinn sem ég talaði við; skólinn sem hún lærir í.
Can I put the preposition before sem, like í sem hún lærir?
No. You don’t say í sem in modern Icelandic. If you want to avoid stranding, use þar sem (“where”): Háskólinn þar sem hún lærir er stór. That’s also common and fully correct.
Is lærir í the best way to express “studies at [a university]”?
It’s fine and idiomatic. You will also hear:
- læra við [stofnun] (emphasizes affiliation with the institution), e.g., læra við Háskóla Íslands
- vera í námi (í/við) = be in studies
- stunda nám (við) = pursue studies All are natural; choice depends on nuance and style.
What case is Háskólinn in, and why?
Háskólinn is nominative singular masculine because it’s the subject of the main clause. Other singular definite forms you’ll see:
- Accusative: háskólann
- Dative: háskólanum
- Genitive: háskólans
What case does í take here?
With location (“in/at”), í takes the dative. If you “de-relativize” the clause, you’d get:
- Hún lærir í háskólanum (in/at the university, dative) With motion into something, í takes the accusative, e.g., hann fer í háskólann (goes into the university).
Why is the adjective stór (not stóri or stóra)?
Predicate adjectives (after “to be”) take the strong nominative form and agree in gender and number with the subject. Háskólinn is masculine singular, so stór. Examples of agreement:
- Singular: Háskólinn er stór.
- Plural: Háskólarnir eru stórir. Attributive definites use the weak form: stóri háskólinn (“the big university”).
Can I drop sem, like English sometimes drops “that”?
No. In Icelandic, sem (or þar sem for “where”) is obligatory in this kind of relative clause. Dropping it is ungrammatical.
Why is it hún and not hana or henni?
Hún is nominative and used for the subject of the embedded clause. The forms are:
- Nominative: hún
- Accusative: hana
- Dative: henni
- Genitive: hennar
What’s the word order doing here?
In the main clause Icelandic is V2: the finite verb is in second position, hence Háskólinn ... er stór. In the relative clause introduced by sem, verb-second does not apply, so you get normal SVO: sem hún lærir í.
Could I say Háskólinn sem hún er í er stór?
Yes. Vera í focuses on being enrolled/located “in” that institution. It’s natural and close in meaning to læra í/við here.
Is there any punctuation needed before sem?
No comma is used before a restrictive sem-clause in Icelandic: Háskólinn sem hún lærir í er stór (no comma).
How would I say this in the past or negative?
- Past: Háskólinn sem hún lærði í var stór.
- Negative: Háskólinn sem hún lærir í er ekki stór.
Does sem work for people and things alike?
Yes. Sem is an invariable relative marker meaning “that/who/which.” It’s used with people, places, and things: konan sem..., skólinn sem..., bókin sem...
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