Questions & Answers about Það er hægt að panta mat á netinu.
What does Það er hægt literally mean, and why is it used instead of just saying you can?
Það er hægt literally means it is possible.
- Það = it (a dummy/placeholder subject, like it in it is raining).
- er = is.
- hægt = possible.
So Það er hægt að panta mat á netinu is literally It is possible to order food on the internet, which we usually translate more naturally as You can order food online.
Icelandic often uses this impersonal structure Það er hægt að + infinitive to express general possibilities, where English would say you can…, one can…, or it’s possible to…. It sounds neutral and impersonal, not about a specific person, but about what is generally possible.
What is the function of að before panta?
Here að is the infinitive marker, like to in English:
- að panta = to order
- að borða = to eat
- að sofa = to sleep
In the structure Það er hægt að panta, the pattern is:
- Það er hægt (it is possible)
- að panta (to order)
So you need because is in the infinitive form after this expression of possibility.