Þetta þýðir ekkert.

This means nothing.

Breakdown of Þetta þýðir ekkert.

• þetta: this
• ekkert: nothing
• þýða: to mean

Questions & Answers about Þetta þýðir ekkert.

What do the individual words Þetta þýðir ekkert mean, word-for-word?

• Þetta – this (a neuter demonstrative pronoun)
• þýðir – means (3rd person singular present of the verb þýða “to mean / to translate”)
• ekkert – nothing or not anything (a negative pronoun/adverb)

So literally: Þetta þýðir ekkert = This means nothing.

What exactly is Þetta grammatically, and what does it refer to?

• Þetta is a demonstrative pronoun, meaning this.
• It is neuter singular, nominative.
• In this sentence it is the subject of the verb þýðir.

It usually refers to some situation, statement, action, or thing that has just been mentioned or is visible/obvious from context, much like English this in This doesn’t mean anything.

What verb form is þýðir, and what is the infinitive?

• The infinitive is þýða – to mean; to translate.
• þýðir is 3rd person singular present indicative: he/she/it means.

Very small present-tense pattern (indicative):

• ég þýði – I mean
• þú þýðir – you mean
• hann/hún/það þýðir – he/she/it means
• við þýðum – we mean
• þið þýðið – you (pl.) mean
• þeir/þær/þau þýða – they mean

So Þetta þýðir… = This means…

What is ekkert here – a noun, pronoun, or adverb?

Ekkert is originally a neuter pronoun meaning nothing, but in practice it often behaves a bit like an adverb meaning not at all / not anything.

In Þetta þýðir ekkert it functions as the object of the verb:

• literally: This means nothing.

Morphologically, it is neuter singular (nominative/accusative – they look the same in neuter).

Why is it ekkert and not neitt? Are they different?

Both ekkert and neitt appear in negative contexts, but they’re used a bit differently:

• ekkert alone can carry the negation:

  • Þetta þýðir ekkert. – This means nothing.
  • Ég sé ekkert. – I see nothing / I don’t see anything.

• neitt normally appears with ekki (the regular negation):

  • Þetta þýðir ekki neitt. – This doesn’t mean anything.
  • Ég sé ekki neitt. – I don’t see anything.

Meaning-wise, Þetta þýðir ekkert and Þetta þýðir ekki neitt are extremely close; in everyday speech they both mean This doesn’t mean anything / This means nothing.

Is there “double negation” going on, like in some languages?

In Þetta þýðir ekkert, there is only one negative element, ekkert, so it’s not double negation.

In sentences like Þetta þýðir ekki neitt:

• ekki is the clausal negator (not),
• neitt is an indefinite pronoun that shows up in negative contexts (anything).

This is more like negative concord (“I didn’t see anything”) than logical double negation (“I didn’t see nothing” meaning I saw something). Both Þetta þýðir ekkert and Þetta þýðir ekki neitt are negative in meaning.

Is this a complete sentence, and in what situations would you say Þetta þýðir ekkert?

Yes, it is a fully complete sentence.

Common uses:

• When someone’s argument or excuse doesn’t change anything:
  
  • You can apologize now, but *þetta þýðir ekkert.*
• When an action is useless or has no effect:
  
  • We tried changing the settings, but *þetta þýðir ekkert.*
• When a statement or sign doesn’t carry any real meaning:
  
  • If you just copy it without understanding, *þetta þýðir ekkert.*

So it can be both literal (This means nothing linguistically) and figurative (This is pointless / This doesn’t help).

Can the word order change, or must it be Þetta þýðir ekkert?

The neutral, everyday word order is:

• Þetta þýðir ekkert. – Subject–Verb–Object/Complement

You can change the order for emphasis or in special contexts, but it sounds marked or poetic:

• Ekkert þýðir þetta. – Nothing means this / Nothing does this mean (very marked, emphatic, or stylistic).

For normal speech, stick with Þetta þýðir ekkert.

How do you pronounce Þetta þýðir ekkert?

Approximate IPA and a rough English-based guide:

• Þetta – [ˈθɛhta]

  • þ like the th in thing
  • tt pronounced as a kind of hard ht sound, roughly THET-ta → THEHT-ta

• þýðir – [ˈθiːðɪr]

  • ý like a long ee in see
  • ð like the th in this
  • roughly: THI-thir (with th in this for the second one)

• ekkert – [ˈɛhcɛr̥t] (often described more simply as [ˈɛkcɛr̥t])

  • kk often pronounced like hk
  • final rt gives a slightly rolled/flapped r then t
  • roughly: EHK-kert

Whole sentence (rough): THEHT-ta THI-thir EHK-kert.

How would I say this in the past or future, like “This meant nothing” or “This will mean nothing”?

The verb þýða in relevant tenses:

• Present:

  • Þetta þýðir ekkert. – This means nothing.

• Past (simple):

  • Þetta þýddi ekkert. – This meant nothing.

• Future (with munu):

  • Þetta mun ekki þýða neitt. – This will not mean anything.
  • or: Þetta mun ekkert þýða. – This will mean nothing / This won’t help at all.

Note that in the future, munu + ekki/neitt/ekkert is usually used rather than some special future form of þýða (Icelandic doesn’t have a separate morphological future tense).

What’s the difference between þýða and merkja, since both can be “mean”?

Both verbs can often be translated as to mean, but they have slightly different typical uses:

• þýða

  • to mean (in general):
    
    • Hvað þýðir þetta orð? – What does this word mean?
  • to translate:
    
    • Hún þýðir bækur. – She translates books.

• merkja

  • to signify, to denote, to mean (in the sense of indicating something):
    
    • Þetta merkir stríð. – This signifies war.
    • Hvað merkir þetta tákn? – What does this symbol mean?

In Þetta þýðir ekkert, þýða is used in the general sense to mean or to be of any significance. You would not normally say Þetta merkir ekkert in this idiomatic “This is pointless / meaningless” sense; Þetta þýðir ekkert is the standard phrase.