Þetta starf er gott.

to be

Breakdown of Þetta starf er gott.

• gott: good
• þetta: this
• starf: the job

Questions & Answers about Þetta starf er gott.

What does each word in Þetta starf er gott do in the sentence?

The sentence is:

• Þetta – this
  Demonstrative pronoun/adjective pointing to something near in context. Here it modifies starf: Þetta starf = this job.

• starf – job / position / (a) work task
  Neuter noun in the nominative singular; it is the main part of the subject.

• er – is
  3rd person singular present of vera (to be).

• gott – good
  Adjective meaning good, in the neuter nominative singular to agree with starf.

So grammatically: [Þetta starf] (subject) + [er] (verb) + [gott] (predicate adjective).

Why is it gott and not góður or góð?

Because adjectives in Icelandic agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender (masculine / feminine / neuter)
• number (singular / plural)
• case (nominative / accusative / dative / genitive)

The base adjective is góður (good). Its nominative singular forms are:

• masculine: góður
• feminine: góð
• neuter: gott

The noun starf is neuter, singular, (it’s the subject), so the adjective must also be: