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, nominative (it’s the subject), so the adjective must also be:

• neuter + singular + nominative → gott

So:

• Góður maður er hér. – A good man is here. (masc)
• Góð kona er hér. – A good woman is here. (fem)
• Gott starf er gott. – A good job is good. (neut, slightly silly but grammatical)

In Þetta starf er gott, starf is neuter, so gott is the only correct option.

How do I know that starf is neuter?

You mainly find out from:

1. The dictionary
   Good dictionaries mark gender:

   • starf, -s, - / (n.) – the n. means neuter.

2. The definite form
   Neuter nouns often add -ið or -ið / -ið in the definite:

   • starfið = the job. (Here it’s neuter definite singular.)

3. Typical patterns (just a rough hint)
   Many neuter nouns end in a consonant without an obvious gender marker (no -ur, -a etc.), but this is not reliable enough on its own. You really have to learn gender with each noun.

So in practice: whenever you learn a noun, memorize its gender:
starf (n.) – job, position.

Why isn’t there a word for “a” in Þetta starf er gott?

Icelandic does not have an indefinite article like English a / an.

• starf by itself can mean:
  • a job / one job (indefinite) or
  • just job in a general sense, depending on context.

Definiteness is normally expressed by a suffix (not a separate word):

• starf – a job / job
• starfið – the job

In your sentence:

• Þetta starf er gott. – This job is good.
  (The word þetta already makes it specific, so you don’t need a.)

You never say an Icelandic equivalent of “a” in front of starf. The language simply doesn’t use an indefinite article.

Can I say Þetta er gott starf instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, both are correct, but they have slightly different emphasis:

1. Þetta starf er gott.

   • Literally: This job is good.
   • Structure: [Þetta starf] (this job) is the subject.
   • Emphasis: this particular job (that we’re talking about) is good.

2. Þetta er gott starf.

   • Literally: This is a good job.
   • Structure: Þetta is a standalone pronoun: this (thing / situation) is a good job.
   • Emphasis: This thing here (which we might have just described) counts as a good job / qualifies as a good job.

In practice, both might translate to English as “This job is good”, but:

• Þetta starf er gott = talking about the quality of a specific job.
• Þetta er gott starf = classifying what “this” is (it’s a good kind of job).

What’s the difference between starf and vinna for “work” or “job”? When should I use starf?

Both relate to work, but they’re used differently:

• starf (n.)

  • a position, post, job (often more formal)
  • a task, duty
    Examples:
  • Ég er í nýju starfi. – I’m in a new job/position.
  • Starfið mitt er áhugavert. – My job is interesting.

• vinna (f.)

  • work (general concept or activity)
  • also a job, in everyday speech
    Examples:
  • Ég er í vinnu. – I’m at work.
  • Ég leita að vinnu. – I’m looking for a job/work.

In Þetta starf er gott, starf fits well because we’re evaluating a particular job/position. You could also say:

• Þessi vinna er góð. – This work/job is good.

…but starf sounds a bit more like a specific role or post.

Why are both starf and gott in the nominative? What case is used after er?

In Icelandic, the verb vera (to be) normally takes a predicate in the nominative case, not another case. This is similar to English “subject complement.”

So in:

• Þetta starf – the subject (nominative)
• er – is
• gott – predicate adjective describing the subject

Both starf and gott are nominative singular neuter because:

• starf is the subject.
• gott describes the subject, so it agrees with it in case, number, and gender.

This is sometimes called a predicate nominative / nominative complement after vera.

Could I use þessi instead of þetta here?

No, not in this sentence. You need the neuter form to match starf.

The demonstrative “this” declines like an adjective, with different forms:

• masculine: þessi
• feminine: þessi
• neuter: þetta

Because starf is neuter, the correct form that modifies it is:

• þetta starf – this job

You would use þessi with masculine or feminine nouns, e.g.:

• þessi maður – this man (masc)
• þessi kona – this woman (fem)
• þetta starf – this job (neut)

So þessi starf would be ungrammatical; it must be þetta starf.

How is Þetta starf er gott pronounced, and what sound is Þ?

An approximate IPA transcription:

• Þetta starf er gott → [ˈθɛhta ˌstarv ɛr kɔht]

Breakdown:

• Þetta – [ˈθɛhta]

  • Þ / þ is like the th in English thing, think (voiceless).
  • Double tt is pronounced with a strong t sound.

• starf – [starv] (the f here is pronounced more like v at the end)

• er – [ɛr], like “air” but shorter.

• gott – [kɔht]

  • g is a hard g (like in go).
  • tt again is a strong t sound.

Very rough English-style approximation:
“THET-ta starv ehr goht”

How does starf change in other forms (cases and plural)?

A common declension paradigm for starf (n.) is:

Singular

• Nominative: starf – (a) job
• Accusative: starf – (I have) a job
• Dative: starfi – (I am in) a job
• Genitive: starfs – of a job

Plural

• Nominative: störf – jobs
• Accusative: störf – (I have) jobs
• Dative: störfum – (I work at) jobs
• Genitive: starfa – of jobs

Examples:

• Starfið er gott. – The job is good. (definite nom. sg.)
• Ég er ánægður með starfið. – I’m happy with the job. (acc. sg.)
• Ég er í nýju starfi. – I’m in a new job. (dat. sg.)
• Mörg störf eru erfið. – Many jobs are difficult. (nom. pl.)

Does the word order Þetta starf er gott ever change, or can I move words around?

For a simple, neutral statement, Þetta starf er gott is the natural order:

• [Subject] – [Verb] – [Complement]
• Þetta starf – er – gott

You can change word order for emphasis, but in this short sentence, moving things around quickly sounds unnatural or poetic. For example:

• Gott er þetta starf. – More like: Good is this job (poetic / emphatic).

For everyday speech, stick to:

• Þetta starf er gott. – neutral, standard
• or the alternative structure: Þetta er gott starf. (as discussed above)