Stundum er erfitt að einbeita sér.

Sometimes it is hard to concentrate.

Breakdown of Stundum er erfitt að einbeita sér.

• vera: to be
• stundum: sometimes
• einbeita sér: to concentrate
• erfitt: hard

Questions & Answers about Stundum er erfitt að einbeita sér.

Why is there no word for “it” in this Icelandic sentence?

English needs a dummy subject “it” (Sometimes *it is hard to concentrate*), but Icelandic often does not.

• Underlyingly, the structure is like: (Það) er erfitt að einbeita sér.
  – það = “it” (dummy subject)
• In everyday Icelandic, this dummy það is usually dropped when the “real” subject is an infinitive clause (að einbeita sér).

So:

• Stundum er erfitt að einbeita sér.
  ≈ “Sometimes it is hard to concentrate.”

You can say Stundum er það erfitt að einbeita sér, but the það is optional and not needed.

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What exactly does stundum mean, and what form is it?

Stundum means “sometimes”.

Grammatically:

• stund = “a short while, a moment” (a noun)
• stundum is the dative plural form of stund, used adverbially.

• Many Icelandic time nouns in the dative plural become adverbs of frequency:

  • dagur → dögum (í gamla daga, etc.)
  • stund → stundum (“at times” → “sometimes”)

Useful related adverbs:

• oft – often
• sjaldan – seldom, rarely
• aldrei – never

So stundum er erfitt… = “ it is hard…”