Íbúðin er ódýr, en leigan verður líklega hærri á næsta ári.

The apartment is cheap, but the rent will probably be higher next year.

Breakdown of Íbúðin er ódýr, en leigan verður líklega hærri á næsta ári.

• vera: to be
• en: but
• næstur: next
• verða: to become
• á: in
• árið: the year
• líklega: probably
• hærri: higher
• ódýr: cheap
• íbúðin: the apartment
• leigan: the rent

Questions & Answers about Íbúðin er ódýr, en leigan verður líklega hærri á næsta ári.

Why does íbúðin mean the apartment? Why is the attached to the noun?

In Icelandic, the definite article (the) is normally a suffix added to the end of the noun, not a separate word.

• íbúð = apartment (indefinite)
• íbúð + in → íbúðin = the apartment

So:

• íbúð = an apartment
• íbúðin = the apartment

This works similarly with many nouns:

• bók → bókin = book → the book
• bíll → bíllinn = car → the car

What exactly is leigan, and how is it different from leiga?

leiga is the noun rent (what you pay for an apartment).

Icelandic again uses a suffixed definite article:

• leiga = rent (in general, indefinite)
• leiga + n → leigan = the rent

So:

• Leiga er dýr. = Rent is expensive.
• Leigan er dýr. = The rent is expensive. (a specific rent, e.g. for this apartment)

In the sentence, leigan is the rent, referring to the specific rent for this apartment.

Why are both íbúðin and leigan in this basic form? Are they subjects in different clauses?

Yes. The sentence contains two main clauses joined by en (but):

1. Íbúðin er ódýr
   
   • Subject: Íbúðin (the apartment)
   • Verb: er (is)
2. (en) leigan verður líklega hærri á næsta ári
   
   • Subject: leigan (the rent)
   • Verb: verður (will be / becomes)

In Icelandic, subjects are in the nominative case, and the dictionary form of a noun is usually nominative singular.
Here both íbúðin and leigan are nominative singular (with the definite ending), functioning as subjects of their own clauses.

Why is the adjective ódýr used here, and not something like ódýrt or ódýra?

ódýr means cheap. Adjectives in Icelandic agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

• íbúð is feminine, singular, nominative.
• So the adjective ódýr must be in a form that matches feminine singular nominative in this kind of (predicative) use.

For ódýr:

• Masculine sg nom: ódýr
• Feminine sg nom: ódýr
• Neuter sg nom: ódýrt

So with íbúðin (feminine), the correct form is ódýr:

• Íbúðin er ódýr. = The apartment is cheap.

You would use ódýrt with a neuter noun, e.g.:

• Húsið er ódýrt. = The house is cheap. (since hús is neuter)

What is hærri, and what is the basic adjective it comes from?

hærri is the comparative form of the adjective hár, which literally means high (and by extension can mean high / expensive when talking about prices, rent, etc.).

• Base form: hár = high
• Comparative: hærri = higher

In this sentence, hærri is used with leigan (the rent):

• leigan verður líklega hærri
  Literally: the rent will probably be higher
  Idiomatically: the rent will probably be higher / more expensive

So hærri is functioning like English higher with reference to a price.

What does líklega mean, and how is it formed?

líklega is an adverb meaning probably / likely.

It comes from the adjective líklegur (likely, probable). A common pattern in Icelandic is:

• adjective + -lega → adverb

For example:

• viss (certain) → vissulega (certainly)
• almennur (general) → almennt (generally; this one uses -t)
• líklegur (likely) → líklega (likely / probably)

In the sentence:

• leigan verður líklega hærri
  = the rent will probably be higher.

So líklega modifies the verb phrase verður hærri.

Why is the verb verður used here? Is this how Icelandic expresses the future?

Yes, verður is the 3rd person singular present tense of að verða (to become / to get / to be in the future).

Icelandic does not have a dedicated future tense like English will. Instead, it usually uses:

1. Present tense with context:

   • Ég fer á morgun. = I go tomorrow / I am going tomorrow / I will go tomorrow.

2. Verbs like munu or að verða to give a future meaning:

   • Leigan verður líklega hærri.
     Literally: the rent becomes / will be probably higher.
   • You could also say: Leigan mun líklega verða hærri. = the rent will probably become/be higher.

In this sentence, verður + líklega gives a natural future probability meaning:
the rent will probably be higher.

What exactly does á næsta ári mean, and why that form?

á næsta ári means next year (literally: on/in the next year).

Breakdown:

• á = on / in / at
  When used for time like this, it takes the dative case.
• ár = year (neuter noun)
  Dative singular of ár is ári.
• næsta = a form of næstur (next), agreeing with ári.

So:

• á (+ dative) → ári
• næsta is the agreeing form of næstur used in this fixed temporal phrase.

Thus:

• á næsta ári = in/at the next year → next year.

You see the same structure with other time expressions:

• í næstu viku = next week (in the next week)
• á næsta sumri = next summer

Can I change the word order in leigan verður líklega hærri? For example: Líklega verður leigan hærri?

Yes, Icelandic allows some flexibility in word order, but there are rules.

The neutral order in main clauses is generally verb in second position (the V2 rule), similar to German:

• Leigan verður líklega hærri.
  Subject – Verb – Adverb – Complement

You can front the adverb líklega (for emphasis), but the finite verb still has to stay second:

• Líklega verður leigan hærri.
  Adverb – Verb – Subject – Complement
  = Probably the rent will be higher.

What you generally cannot do in neutral style is:

• *Leigan líklega verður hærri. (ungrammatical as a normal main clause)

So:

• Leigan verður líklega hærri – correct, neutral.
• Líklega verður leigan hærri – correct, with emphasis on probably.

What does en do here, and why is there a comma before it?

en is a coordinating conjunction meaning but.

The sentence actually has two independent clauses:

1. Íbúðin er ódýr – The apartment is cheap,
2. en leigan verður líklega hærri á næsta ári – but the rent will probably be higher next year.

Icelandic spelling conventions typically put a comma before conjunctions like en when they join two main clauses:

• Íbúðin er ódýr, en leigan verður líklega hærri á næsta ári.

So en = but, and the comma marks the division between the two clauses.

How can I tell that íbúð and leiga are feminine nouns, and does that affect the adjectives?

You normally learn the gender of nouns with them in the dictionary:

• íbúð (kvk.) – apartment (kvk. = kvenkyn = feminine)
• leiga (kvk.) – rent (kvk. = feminine)

Gender affects:

1. The definite endings:

   • íbúð → íbúðin
   • leiga → leigan

2. The form of the adjectives:

   • Íbúðin er ódýr. (feminine sg nom form of ódýr)
   • Leigan verður líklega hærri. (feminine sg nom form of the comparative hærri)

If the nouns were neuter, the adjective forms would change, e.g.:

• hús (neuter) → Húsið er ódýrt. = The house is cheap.
• verð (price, neuter) → Verðið verður líklega hærra. = The price will probably be higher.