Ég er ánægður með nýju vinnuna mína.

I

Breakdown of Ég er ánægður með nýju vinnuna mína.

• vera: to be
• með: with
• minn: my
• nýr: new
• ánægður: happy
• vinnan: the job

Questions & Answers about Ég er ánægður með nýju vinnuna mína.

Why is ánægður in this form and not something like ánægð or ánægðir?

Ánægður is an adjective meaning happy / satisfied. In this sentence it is:

• in the nominative case
• singular
• masculine

It agrees with the subject ég (“I”) in number, case, and (natural) gender.

• If the speaker is a man, you say: Ég er ánægður …
• If the speaker is a woman, you say: Ég er ánægð …
• If it’s a group of people (mixed / men): Við erum ánægðir …
• Group of only women: Við erum ánægðar …
• Neuter (about something neutral): Það er ánægt …

Key point: adjectives after vera (to be) agree with the subject, not with the object (vinnuna).

How would the sentence change if the speaker is a woman?

Only the adjective ánægður changes; the rest stays the same:

• Male speaker: Ég er ánægður með nýju vinnuna mína.
• Female speaker: Ég er ánægð með nýju vinnuna mína.

Everything after með (the part about the job) is unaffected by the speaker’s gender.

Why do we use með here? Could we use af or yfir instead?

In this context, með is the usual preposition used with ánægður to mean happy with / satisfied with something:

• ánægður með e-ð = happy with something

Other options:

• ánægður með launin – happy with the salary
• ánægður með nýju vinnuna – happy with the new job

You can also see:

• ánægður með að…
  • verb:
    Ég er ánægður með að hafa fengið vinnuna. – I’m happy to have got the job.
• ánægður yfir e-u – more like “pleased about / over” some event:
  Hún er ánægð yfir fréttunum. – She is pleased about the news.

Ánægður af is not used in this meaning. So here með is the natural, idiomatic choice.

What case does með take in this sentence, and how can I see that?

Here með takes the accusative case.

You can see this from the form of the noun:

• Base form: vinna (job, work) – nominative singular
• Accusative singular (indefinite): vinnu
• Accusative singular definite: vinnuna

In the sentence we have vinnuna, so we know it’s accusative.
The whole phrase með nýju vinnuna mína is therefore in the accusative, governed by með.

(Elsewhere, með can also take dative with other meanings, e.g. með mér – with me (physically together). But with ánægður með, it uses accusative.)

Why is it nýju and not nýja before vinnuna?

The adjective nýr (new) changes form to agree with vinna (feminine, accusative, definite).

Two important facts:

1. Vinna is feminine → adjective must be feminine.
2. The noun phrase is definite (vinnuna mína = my (particular) job) → the adjective takes the weak declension.

For nýr:

• Feminine accusative singular, strong: nýja
• Feminine accusative singular, weak: nýju

Because vinnuna mína is definite, we must use the weak form:

• ✔ með nýju vinnuna mína
• ✖ með nýja vinnuna mína (would sound wrong in standard Icelandic in this meaning)

So nýju is the weak feminine accusative form agreeing with a definite feminine noun in accusative.

Why is it vinnuna and not vinna or vinnu?

Vinna is a feminine noun. Its singular forms (most common) are:

• Nominative: vinna – (subject)
  Vinnan er erfið. – The job is hard.
• Accusative: vinnu – (object, indefinite)
  Ég er að leita að vinnu. – I’m looking for a job.
• Dative: vinnu
• Genitive: vinnu

With the definite article added (-n / -na / -ni / -nar):

• Nom. definite: vinnan – the job
• Acc. definite: vinnuna – the job (as object)
• Dat. definite: vinnunni
• Gen. definite: vinnunnar

In your sentence, með requires accusative, and the job is definite:

• accusative + definite → vinnuna

So we get með nýju vinnuna mína.

Why is the possessive mína at the end, and why does it have this form?

Mín is the possessive adjective meaning my. It must agree with the noun in:

• gender: vinna is feminine
• number: singular
• case: accusative

So the correct form is:

• Feminine accusative singular of mín → mína

Regarding position:

• With a definite noun (with the article), the usual pattern is: [adjective] + [noun+article] + [possessive]

Examples:

• nýja bíllinn minn – my new car
• gamla konan mín – my old woman/wife
• nýju vinnuna mína – my new job

You can put the possessive before the noun, but that usually makes it indefinite or more emphatic / contrastive:

• mín vinna – my work (as opposed to someone else’s)
• mín nýja vinna – my new job (more contrast/emphasis)

In the sentence you have, vinnuna mína is the normal “the job of mine / my job” wording, so mína naturally comes last.

Could I say Ég er ánægður með mínu nýju vinnu or með mína nýju vinnu instead?

Those versions are not correct Icelandic:

1. *Ég er ánægður með mínu nýju vinnu.

   • mínu is neuter or masculine dative; it does not match vinna (feminine accusative).
   • vinnu is accusative indefinite, but the possessive and adjective are trying to make it definite. Forms and definiteness clash.

2. *Ég er ánægður með mína nýju vinnu.

   • Word order is odd here; also, vinnu again is indefinite accusative.
   • If you drop the article entirely and really mean “a new job of mine” in a looser sense, you’d more naturally say:
     • Ég er ánægður með nýja vinnu. – I’m happy with a new job. (no possessive)
     • Or Ég er ánægður með nýja vinnu mína. is possible but feels marked / less neutral.

The standard, natural way to say my new job as a specific job you have is what you started with:

• Ég er ánægður / ánægð með nýju vinnuna mína.

What’s the difference between nýju vinnuna mína and nýja vinnu mína?

They differ in definiteness and nuance:

1. nýju vinnuna mína

   • vinnuna is definite: the job
   • You are talking about your specific job, the one you have.
   • This is the normal way to say my new job (the one I just started).

2. nýja vinnu mína

   • vinnu is accusative singular indefinite: a job
   • With mína after it, this can sound somewhat marked or stylistic; it’s not the most neutral everyday phrasing.
   • It can be understood more like “some new job of mine” or “my new work” in a broader sense.

In everyday speech, if you mean the new job I just got, use:

• nýju vinnuna mína (definite).

Can I change the word order, e.g. Ég er með nýju vinnuna mína ánægður?

No, not in normal, natural Icelandic.

The usual structure is:

• [Subject] + er + [predicate adjective] + með + [object phrase]

So:

• Ég er ánægður með nýju vinnuna mína.

Putting ánægður at the end (Ég er með nýju vinnuna mína ánægður) sounds ungrammatical or at least very strange. Icelandic word order is more flexible than English in some areas, but for simple vera + adjective sentences, the adjective normally stays right after vera.