Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Haustið er uppáhalds árstíðin mín, þó að dagarnir verði styttri. - Autumn is my favorite season, although the days become shorter.

Haust is a neuter noun meaning autumn / fall.
Icelandic shows “the” by adding an ending to the noun, not a separate word:
- haust + ið → Haustið = the autumn.
When talking about seasons in a general way as subjects, Icelandic usually uses the definite form:
- Haustið er fallegt. – Autumn is beautiful.
- Veturinn er kaldur. – Winter is cold.
So Haustið here is literally the autumn, even though English normally just says Autumn is my favorite season without the.

Why is it árstíðin and not just árstíð?

Árstíð is a feminine noun: season.
Its nominative singular forms are:
- indefinite: árstíð – a season / season
- definite: árstíðin – the season
In the pattern “X is my Y”, Icelandic normally uses a definite noun for Y when it has a possessive pronoun:
- Haustið er uppáhalds árstíðin mín.
- Literally: The autumn is the favorite season mine.
That’s why you see árstíðin instead of plain árstíð.

Why is the possessive mín placed after the noun (árstíðin mín) instead of before it?

Icelandic possessive pronouns (mín, þín, hans, hennar etc.) can go:
- before the noun: mín árstíð – my season
- after the noun: árstíðin mín – my season
When the noun is definite (has -inn / -an / -ið etc.), it is very common and natural to put the possessive after the noun:
- bíllinn minn – my car
- vinurinn minn – my friend
- uppáhalds árstíðin mín – my favorite season
Mín uppáhalds árstíð would be understood, but uppáhalds árstíðin mín sounds more idiomatic here.

What exactly is uppáhalds? Why does it end in -s and not change form?

Uppáhald is originally a neuter noun meaning favorite (thing).
- uppáhaldið mitt – my favorite (thing).
When it is used before another noun (like an adjective), it takes the genitive form uppáhalds and is indeclinable:
- uppáhalds maturinn minn – my favorite food
- uppáhalds bíómyndin mín – my favorite movie
- uppáhalds árstíðin mín – my favorite season
Unlike normal adjectives, uppáhalds does not change for gender, number, or case. It stays uppáhalds in all those contexts.

Could uppáhalds árstíðin mín be written as one word, like uppáhaldsárstíðin mín?

Yes, Icelandic often makes long compounds, and uppáhaldsárstíð (favorite season) is a normal-looking compound.
You may see both:
- uppáhalds árstíðin mín
- uppáhaldsárstíðin mín
Writing it as one word emphasizes that favorite-season is one combined idea. Writing it as two words treats uppáhalds more like a separate describing element.
Both are understandable; style guides tend to favor compounding fairly strongly in Icelandic, but everyday usage varies.

Why is it þó að? What does this expression do?

Þó að means “though / although” and introduces a subordinate clause that contrasts with the main clause.
- Haustið er uppáhalds árstíðin mín, þó að dagarnir verði styttri.
- Autumn is my favorite season, even though the days get shorter.
Structure:
- main clause: Haustið er uppáhalds árstíðin mín
- subordinate clause with þó að: þó að dagarnir verði styttri
Spoken Icelandic often drops að:
- …þó dagarnir verði styttri. But þó að is the more careful / standard form in writing.

Why is the verb verði and not verða or eru?

The verb is verða – to become, to get.
- 3rd person plural indicative, present: þeir verða – they become / they will become.
- 3rd person plural subjunctive, present: þeir verði.
After þó að (a concessive conjunction: although / even though), Icelandic normally uses the subjunctive mood.
- Hence dagarnir verði, not dagarnir verða.
Meaning:
- dagarnir verði styttri = the days (will) get shorter / become shorter.
So:
- verða is the infinitive,
- verða (3pl indicative) would be less formal/standard here,
- verði (3pl subjunctive) is what standard grammar expects after þó að.

Could you also say þó að dagarnir séu styttri instead of verði styttri? Is there a difference?

Yes, you could say:
- Haustið er uppáhalds árstíðin mín, þó að dagarnir séu styttri.
Difference in nuance:
- verði styttri – get / become shorter
  → Emphasizes the change over time as autumn progresses.
- séu styttri – are shorter
  → States the fact that (autumn) days are shorter (than in summer), without focusing on the process.
Both are grammatical; the original sentence highlights the seasonal change.

What form is styttri, and what is the base adjective?

Base adjective: stuttur – short (in length or time).
Comparative form: styttri – shorter.
Superlative form: stystur – shortest.
In the sentence:
- dagarnir is masculine nominative plural.
- Comparative adjectives like styttri use a special pattern and appear the same for all genders in the nominative plural, so you see styttri with dagarnir.
So dagarnir verði styttri = the days become shorter.

Why is it dagarnir and not dagar or daga?

Dagur – day (masculine noun).
Main forms:
- nominative singular: dagur
- nominative plural: dagar
- nominative plural definite: dagarnir – the days
In þó að dagarnir verði styttri:
- dagarnir is the subject of the verb verði.
- Subjects are in the nominative case.
- The days talked about are specific/generic the days (in autumn), so Icelandic uses the definite plural.
So: nominative plural + definite ending → dagarnir.

Why is there a comma before þó að dagarnir verði styttri, and can the order of the clauses be reversed?

Icelandic normally puts a comma before a subordinate clause introduced by words like þó að, þegar, ef, því að etc.
- …, þó að dagarnir verði styttri.
You can reverse the order of the clauses:
- Þó að dagarnir verði styttri, er haustið uppáhalds árstíðin mín.
- Same meaning: Even though the days get shorter, autumn is my favorite season.
In both orders, the subordinate clause is still marked off by a comma in standard writing.

How are þ and ð pronounced, and where is the stress in this sentence?

þ is like the “th” in think (voiceless).
ð is like the “th” in this (voiced), but often softer and can be almost like a gentle /ð/ or even approximant between vowels.
Rough stress pattern (stress always on the first syllable of each word):
- HAU-stið er UPP-á-hal(d)s ÁRS-tíð-in mín, ÞÓ að DA-ga-nir VER-ði STYT-tri.
So:
- þó starts with a think-th sound.
- Haustið ends with a soft voiced this-th sound.