Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Þessi hluti er erfiður.

Þessi – [ˈθɛsːɪ]
- þ = th as in think
- double ss is long: a bit like a held s
- e is like e in bet, but often a little tenser
hluti – [ˈl̥ʏːtɪr]
- hl: the h is not silent; it makes the l voiceless, so it sounds like a whispered l
- ú: long u sound, somewhat like German ü in Tür, or between English oo and ee
- i at the end is like i in bit
- final written i often has an extra r-like offglide in Icelandic pronunciation (hence the r in IPA)
er – [ˈɛrː]
- e like in bet
- r rolled or tapped, often doubled in length
erfiður – [ˈɛrvɪðʏr]
- er at the start: again like er above
- fi: f as in fine, i as in bit
- ð: like voiced th in this
- u: like u in put, a bit tenser
- final r rolled/tapped

Rhythm: ÞESS-i HLÚ-ti er ER-vi-ður (main stress on the first syllable of each content word).

Why is it Þessi hluti and not Þetta hluti?

Because Icelandic demonstratives agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify:

hluti is masculine, singular, nominative.
The matching form of þessi / þessi / þetta is:
- Masculine: þessi
- Feminine: þessi
- Neuter: þetta

So:

Þessi hluti = this part (masculine noun)
Þetta hús = this house (neuter noun)
Þessi bók = this book (feminine noun)

Using Þetta hluti would be ungrammatical because þetta is neuter, but hluti is masculine.

What exactly does hluti mean, and what is its grammatical role here?

hluti means part, section, portion, share.

In this sentence:

Þessi hluti = this part
hluti is the head noun of the subject phrase.
It is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.

Basic forms of hluti (singular):

Nominative: hluti – subject form (as here)
Accusative: hluta – direct object
Dative: hluta
Genitive: hluta

The gender is masculine, which influences:

Which demonstrative you use (þessi, not þetta)
Which adjective form you use (erfiður, not erfitt, etc.)

Why does the adjective appear as erfiður and not erfitt or erfið?

Icelandic adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in:

Gender (masculine, feminine, neuter)
Number (singular, plural)
Case (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive)
And they have strong/weak patterns, depending on definiteness.

Here:

Noun: hluti (masculine, singular, nominative, indefinite)
Adjective: erfiður is the masculine, singular, nominative, strong form.

Compare:

Masculine: erfiður hluti – a difficult part
Feminine: erfið bók – a difficult book
Neuter: erfitt próf – a difficult exam

So erfitt is correct with a neuter noun (like próf), but with hluti (masculine) you need erfiður.

What is er in this sentence, and how is it used?

er is the 3rd person singular present of the verb vera (to be). It works just like is in English.

Þessi hluti – subject
er – verb to be (is)
erfiður – predicate adjective (describing the subject)

Present tense of vera (to be):

ég er – I am
þú ert – you are (singular)
hann / hún / það er – he / she / it is
við erum – we are
þið eruð – you are (plural)
þeir / þær / þau eru – they are

So Þessi hluti er erfiður = This part is difficult.

Is it weird that er appears right before erfiður (like er erfiður)? Is that just a coincidence?

It’s just a coincidence:

er = is (verb, from vera)
erfiður = difficult (adjective; from root erfi-)

The er at the start of erfiður is unrelated to the verb er in terms of grammar. Icelandic doesn’t avoid such repetitions; er erfiður is completely normal and not stylistically strange.

What is the word order here, and is it the usual Icelandic word order?

Word order:

Þessi hluti – subject
er – finite verb
erfiður – complement (adjective)

So the sentence is: Subject – Verb – Complement.

In main clauses, Icelandic follows a V2 rule (the finite verb is in second position):

Position 1: one constituent (often the subject): Þessi hluti
Position 2: finite verb: er
Then the rest: erfiður

So the sentence follows the normal pattern.

To turn it into a yes–no question, you put the verb first:

Er þessi hluti erfiður? – Is this part difficult?

Why isn’t there a definite article on hluti, like hlutinn?

Icelandic has a suffixed definite article:

hluti – a part (indefinite)
hlutinn – the part (definite, masculine nominative singular)

However, when you use a demonstrative like þessi (this/that), you normally do not add the suffixed article to the noun:

Þessi hluti – this part (already specific/definite through þessi)
hlutinn – the part

Using both together (Þessi hlutinn) is ungrammatical in standard Icelandic.

Could the sentence also be Hluturinn er erfiður? Would that mean the same thing?

Hluturinn er erfiður is grammatical, but the meaning is slightly different:

Þessi hluti er erfiður – This part is difficult.
- Focus on a part/section of something.
- Uses þessi for this.
Hluturinn er erfiður – The thing is difficult or The item is difficult.
- hlutur tends to mean thing/object/item, not part in this use.
- The suffixed -inn marks it as the specific thing.

So you wouldn’t normally use Hluturinn er erfiður if you specifically mean this part (of something); you’d stick with Þessi hluti er erfiður.

When would I say Erfitt instead of erfiður – for example Þetta er erfitt?

Erfitt is the neuter singular form of the adjective erfiður.

You use erfitt:

With a neuter singular noun in the nominative:
- Þetta próf er erfitt. – This exam is difficult.
  - próf is neuter.
With dummy/impersonal það (it) referring to a situation, often with an að-clause or infinitive:
- Það er erfitt að læra íslensku. – It is difficult to learn Icelandic.
- Það er erfitt að útskýra þetta. – It is difficult to explain this.

In Þessi hluti er erfiður, the noun hluti is masculine, so you use erfiður, not erfitt.

What is the difference between Þessi and Þetta in general?

Both translate as this (or sometimes that), but they differ by gender:

Þessi:
- Masculine singular: þessi hluti – this part
- Feminine singular: þessi bók – this book
Þetta:
- Neuter singular: þetta hús – this house
- Also very common as a standalone pronoun:
  - Hvað er þetta? – What is this/that?
  - Þetta er gott. – This/that is good.

In Þessi hluti er erfiður, you need the masculine form þessi to match hluti.

Is erfiður a “strong” or “weak” adjective form here, and what does that mean?

Here, erfiður is a strong form of the adjective.

Rough idea:

Strong declension:
- Used when the noun is indefinite (no article) and/or with demonstratives like þessi, sá, etc.
- Example:
  - erfiður hluti – a difficult part
  - Þessi hluti er erfiður.
Weak declension:
- Typically used when the noun is definite, usually with suffixed article or a possessive.
- Example:
  - hlutinn er erfiði – the part is difficult (weak adjective form erfiði)
  - þessi erfiði hluti is possible in some contexts, but more marked/stylistic.

In everyday speech, after vera (to be), speakers are quite consistent about using strong vs weak according to definiteness, but Þessi hluti er erfiður is the normal, straightforward choice here.