Veðrið verður líklega betra á morgun.

The weather will probably be better tomorrow.

Breakdown of Veðrið verður líklega betra á morgun.

• veðrið: the weather
• á morgun: tomorrow
• betri: better
• verða: to become
• líklega: probably

Questions & Answers about Veðrið verður líklega betra á morgun.

What does veðrið literally mean, and why does it end in -ið?

Veðrið literally means “the weather”.

• The basic noun is veður = weather.
• Icelandic normally doesn’t use a separate word for “the”. Instead it adds a definite ending to the noun.
• For neuter nouns like veður, the definite nominative singular ending is -ið.

So:

• veður = weather
• veðrið = the weather

What gender, number, and case is veðrið, and how do we know?

Veðrið is:

• Gender: neuter
• Number: singular
• Case: nominative

How we know:

• veður is a neuter noun in Icelandic.
• The ending -ið is the nominative singular definite ending for many neuter nouns.
• In the sentence Veðrið verður líklega betra á morgun, veðrið is the subject, so it appears in the nominative case.

What tense is verður, and how can it translate as “will be”?

Verður is the present tense, 3rd person singular of the verb verða.

Icelandic does not have a separate “future tense” form like English. Instead, the present tense of certain verbs (especially verða and munu) is often used with a future meaning.

• verða = to become / to get / to turn out / (often) will be
• veðrið verður betra = literally “the weather becomes/gets better”, but very often understood as “the weather will be better” in context.

So verður is grammatically present, but in a sentence like this it is best translated as “will be”.

Is there a difference between verður and mun verða for the future?

Yes, there is a nuance:

• veðrið verður betra á morgun

  • Very natural and common.
  • Neutral statement about the future: the weather will (get) better tomorrow.

• veðrið mun verða betra á morgun

  • Also correct, but a bit more formal or emphatic.
  • Closer to the weather *is going to be better tomorrow or the weather **will indeed be better tomorrow*.

In everyday speech, verður alone is usually enough to express the future here.

What part of speech is líklega, and what does it mean?

Líklega is an adverb. It means “probably / likely”.

It is related to the adjective líklegur = likely, probable:

• líklegur (adj.) = likely (describing a noun)
  
  • það er líklegt = it is likely
• líklega (adv.) = probably / likely (modifying the whole sentence or a verb)
  
  • veðrið verður líklega betra = the weather will probably be better

Where can líklega go in the sentence? Is Veðrið verður líklega betra á morgun the only possible word order?

You have several natural options, all correct, with small nuances of emphasis:

• Veðrið verður líklega betra á morgun.

  • Neutral: “The weather will probably be better tomorrow.”

• Líklega verður veðrið betra á morgun.

  • Emphasizes the probability: “Probably, the weather will be better tomorrow.”

• Á morgun verður veðrið líklega betra.

  • Emphasizes the time: “Tomorrow, the weather will probably be better.”

The key rule is that Icelandic is mostly verb-second (V2) in main clauses:

• Whatever you put first (subject, adverb, time phrase, etc.), the finite verb (verður) must stay in second position.

Why is it betra and not betri or something like betri veður?

Betra is the comparative form of the adjective agreeing with veðrið.

• The basic adjective is góður = good.
• Its comparative is betri = better (irregular, like English good → better).

But betri is declined like an adjective and must agree with the noun:

• veður is neuter singular nominative.
• The neuter singular nominative form of betri is betra.

So:

• veðrið er gott = the weather is good
• veðrið verður betra = the weather will be better

You don’t say betri veður here, because you’re not saying “a better weather” (which sounds odd in English too); you’re saying “the weather will be better”, so the adjective stands by itself and must be in the correct neuter form betra.

Where does betra come from? Why isn’t it built directly from veður?

Betra does not come from veður; it comes from an adjective that is understood but not written: góður = good.

Conceptually, the sentence is:

• Veðrið verður [gott] → betra á morgun.
  
  • The weather will be [good] → better tomorrow.

You don’t need to state gott; the comparative form betra alone makes sense, just like in English:

• The weather is good.
• The weather will be better. (you don’t say “more good weather”).

So betra is simply the neuter singular nominative comparative of góður.

What does á morgun literally mean, and why is á used?

Á morgun literally means “on the morning”, but idiomatically it means “tomorrow”.

• á is a preposition usually meaning on / at / in (depending on context).
• morgun means morning.

Together, á morgun has become a fixed expression meaning tomorrow, not “on the morning”.

So:

• á morgun = tomorrow
• á morgun verður veðrið betra = tomorrow the weather will be better

What’s the difference between á morgun and í morgun?

They look similar but mean different things:

• á morgun

  • Means tomorrow (a future time).
  • Veðrið verður betra á morgun. = The weather will be better tomorrow.

• í morgun

  • Means this morning / earlier today (past time, earlier on the same day).
  • Veðrið var slæmt í morgun. = The weather was bad this morning.

So:

• á morgun → future
• í morgun → earlier today (past)

How do you pronounce veðrið and morgun?

Approximate English-like pronunciation:

• veðrið ≈ “veth-rith”

  • v as in very
  • e like in bed
  • ð is like the th in this (voiced)
  • The ðr cluster is a bit tricky; the ð may be weak before r.
  • Final -ið is roughly ith (with a very short vowel).

• morgun ≈ “MOR-gun”

  • mor like more but shorter
  • g is a hard g (as in go), then a short, reduced -un sound.

Precise Icelandic pronunciation has details that don’t exist in English, but these approximations are close enough to be understood.