Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Hún vinnur á nýjum vinnustað, er það ekki? - She works at a new workplace, doesn’t she?

It’s a general confirmation tag roughly meaning “right?” / “isn’t that so?”. You can attach er það ekki? to almost any statement to seek agreement.

Why does the tag use er instead of repeating the main verb (like English “doesn’t she”)? Can I say vinnur hún ekki? as a tag?

Icelandic commonly uses the fixed, all-purpose tag er það ekki?, regardless of the main verb. Vinnur hún ekki? is a full yes/no question (“Doesn’t she work…?”), not a tag added to a statement. If you want a tag, stick to er það ekki? or alternatives like ekki satt?

What does það refer to in er það ekki? Is it “it” = the workplace?

Here það is a dummy pronoun referring to the whole preceding statement (“that”), not to the workplace. So it’s like saying “Is that not so?”

Why is it á nýjum vinnustað—what does á mean here, and what case does it take?

Á means “at/on” when describing a location and then takes the dative case. That’s why you see dative forms: nýjum (dative masc. sg.) + vinnustað (dative sg.).

Why is the adjective nýjum used and not nýr or nýjan?

Adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number, and case. Vinnustaður is masculine singular, and with á for location you need dative singular masculine: nýjum. Nýr is nominative; nýjan is accusative (used, for example, with motion: á nýjan vinnustað “to a new workplace”).

Why is it vinnustað and not vinnustaður?

Because of case. The base form is nominative vinnustaður, but after á (location) you use the dative, which for this noun is vinnustað (no -ur ending).

Could it be definite: á nýjum vinnustaðnum? What’s the difference?

Yes. Á nýjum vinnustað = “at a new workplace” (unspecified). Á nýjum vinnustaðnum = “at the new workplace” (a specific, known one). The definite article is the suffix -num in the dative singular.

When do I use á vs hjá vs í with vinna?

Vinna á [stað]: working at/on a place or institution (á sjúkrahúsi, á skrifstofu, á nýjum vinnustað).
Vinna hjá [fyrirtæki/manni]: working for an employer (hjá Google, hjá Jón).
Vinna í [deild/gerð starfa/hús]: working in a department/field/building (í sölu, í tölvudeild, í búð).
Choice depends on whether you’re highlighting the place, the employer, or the inside of something.

Does Hún vinnur mean “She works” or “She is working”?

The Icelandic present covers both. Context decides. If you want to stress ongoing activity, use the progressive construction: Hún er að vinna (“She is working”).

How do I turn this into a direct yes/no question?

Invert verb and subject: Vinnur hún á nýjum vinnustað? This is the standard way to ask “Does she work at a new workplace?”

How is vinna conjugated?

Present: ég vinn, þú vinnur, hann/hún/það vinnur, við vinnum, þið vinnið, þeir/þær/þau vinna.
Past: ég vann, þú vannst, hann/hún/það vann, við unnūm, þið unnuð, þeir/þær/þau unnu.
Supine (with “have”): unnið (e.g., hún hefur unnið).

How should I answer this tag—do I use já or jú?

Here the statement is positive with a confirming tag, so agreement is já (“yes”). Jú is used to contradict a negative question/statement (e.g., Vinnur hún ekki? — Jú, hún vinnur.).

Is vinnustaður a compound? What does it literally mean?

Yes. Vinnu- (from vinna, “work”) + staður (“place”) = “workplace.”

Any quick pronunciation tips?

Hún: long ú; roughly “hoon.”
vinnur/vinnustað: double nn is long; ð in stað is soft and often weakly pronounced.
á: “ow” as in “cow.”
nýjum: ý is long “ee”; the j is a y-sound.
er það ekki: það has a soft “th” (as in “this”); kk in ekki is a hard, breathy “k” sound.

Is the comma before er það ekki? necessary?

Yes, you normally place a comma before the tag and end the whole sentence with a question mark: …, er það ekki?

Are there shorter or alternative tags?

Common alternatives include ekki satt? (“right?”), eða hvað? (“or what?”), or just ekki? in casual speech. All serve the same purpose of seeking confirmation.