Hann er mjög virkur í vinnunni.

to be

Breakdown of Hann er mjög virkur í vinnunni.

• hann: he
• mjög: very
• vinnan: the work

Questions & Answers about Hann er mjög virkur í vinnunni.

Why is it virkur and not virk or virkt?

Because adjectives in Icelandic agree with the noun/pronoun they describe in gender, number, and case.

• Hann = he → 3rd person singular masculine nominative
• The adjective describing hann must also be masculine singular nominative.
• The base adjective is virkur (active):
  • Masculine nominative singular: virkur
  • Feminine nominative singular: virk
  • Neuter nominative singular: virkt

Since hann is masculine, you must use virkur.

What’s the role of mjög here, and where does it usually go?

Mjög means very and is an adverb of degree; it modifies the adjective virkur.

In sentences with er (is/am/are) and a following adjective, mjög normally goes directly before the adjective:

• Hann er mjög virkur. – He is very active.
• Hún er mjög virk. – She is very active.
• Þau eru mjög virk. – They are very active. (neuter plural)

Other word orders like Hann er virkur mjög are grammatically possible but sound unnatural or poetic. The neutral, everyday placement is:

subject – er – mjög – adjective

Why is it í vinnunni and not something like í vinnu?