Hún er mjög þakklát núna.

She is very grateful now.

Breakdown of Hún er mjög þakklát núna.

• vera: to be
• hún: she
• núna: now
• mjög: very
• þakklát: grateful

Questions & Answers about Hún er mjög þakklát núna.

What does each word in Hún er mjög þakklát núna. mean literally?

Word by word:

• Hún – she (3rd person singular feminine subject pronoun, in the nominative case)
• er – is (3rd person singular present of að vera = to be)
• mjög – very (adverb, intensifier)
• þakklát – grateful / thankful (adjective, here in feminine singular nominative form)
• núna – now (adverb of time)

So the structure is: She – is – very – grateful – now.

Why is it þakklát and not þakklátur?

Icelandic adjectives agree with the noun (or pronoun) they describe in:

• Gender
• Number
• Case

Here the adjective describes hún (she), which is:

• Feminine
• Singular
• Nominative (subject)

The adjective þakklátur (grateful) has different forms:

• Masculine singular nominative: þakklátur
• Feminine singular nominative: þakklát
• Neuter singular nominative: þakklátt

Since the subject is hún (she, feminine), the correct form is þakklát, not þakklátur or þakklátt.

How would the sentence change for he or they?

Here are the most common versions:

• He is very grateful now.
  Hann er mjög þakklátur núna.
  (masculine subject → masculine adjective þakklátur)

• They (all male or mixed) are very grateful now.
  Þeir eru mjög þakklátir núna.

• They (all female) are very grateful now.
  Þær eru mjög þakklátar núna.

• They (mixed/unspecified group, neuter plural) are very grateful now.
  Þau eru mjög þakklát núna.

Notice:

• The verb changes: er → eru in the plural.
• The adjective changes to match gender + plural:
  • þakklátir (masc plural)
  • þakklátar (fem plural)
  • þakklát (neuter plural, same form as fem singular).

How do I pronounce Hún er mjög þakklát núna. approximately?

Very rough English-friendly guide (not exact IPA):

• Hún – like hoon (long u; lips rounded)
• er – like air, but shorter, with a tapped/trilled r
• mjög – myœg:
  • m
    • y like yes
  • vowel like French eu in peur
  • final g is soft, like a voiced kh; you can approximate it as a soft g
• þakklát – roughly THAHK-lowt:
  • þ: voiceless th, as in thing
  • kk: a strong k sound
  • á: like ow in now
  • final t pronounced clearly
• núna – like NOO-na (long ú)

Main stress is on the first syllable of each content word: HÚN er MJÖG ÞAKK‑lát NÚ‑na.

Is the word order fixed, or can I move núna or mjög?

The basic neutral order is:

Hún er mjög þakklát núna.
Subject – verb – adverb (mjög) – adjective – time adverb (núna).

Some variations are possible:

• Núna er hún mjög þakklát.
  → Fronting núna puts extra emphasis on now.

• Hún er núna mjög þakklát.
  → Also grammatical; emphasizes the change in her state now.

What you usually cannot do:

• ✗ Hún er þakklát mjög núna. (unnatural word order)
• ✗ Hún er þakklát mjög. (adverb mjög almost always comes before the adjective it modifies)

So: adverb of degree (mjög) normally goes directly before the adjective.
Time adverbs like núna have more freedom.

What is the difference between nú and núna?

Both can mean now, but they differ slightly in feel and usage:

• núna

  • Very common in everyday speech.
  • Clear, neutral now (at this time).
  • Works well in Hún er mjög þakklát núna.

• nú

  • Also now, but can feel a bit shorter, sometimes more stylistic or used in fixed expressions.
  • Often used in contrasts or narrative:
    Nú er hún mjög þakklát. – Now she is very grateful.

In your sentence, núna is the most straightforward, natural choice.
Hún er mjög þakklát núna. and Hún er mjög þakklát nú. are both understandable, but núna is more typical in casual speech.

Can I drop the pronoun hún, like in Spanish or Italian?

Normally, no. Icelandic is not a “null-subject” language like Spanish.

• Hún er mjög þakklát núna. – correct
• ✗ Er mjög þakklát núna. – wrong in standard Icelandic

You generally need to use the subject pronoun (ég, þú, hann, hún, það, við, þið, þeir, þær, þau), even when it is clear from context.

There are some very limited and informal exceptions (like imperatives or certain short answers), but as a learner, you should always include the subject pronoun in normal sentences.

Does er only mean is, or can it also mean am and are?

Er is the present tense 3rd person singular form of the verb að vera (to be):

• Ég er – I am
• Þú ert – you are (singular)
• Hann / Hún / Það er – he / she / it is
• Við erum – we are
• Þið eruð – you are (plural)
• Þeir / Þær / Þau eru – they are

So er is used with ég, hann, hún, það.
In English, it can translate as both am and is, depending on the subject:

• Ég er þakklát. – I am grateful.
• Hún er þakklát. – She is grateful.

Why isn’t there any word like a or the in this sentence?

Icelandic handles definiteness differently from English:

• There is no article before an adjective used predicatively (after to be), so you just say:

  • Hún er þakklát. – She is grateful.
  • Hann er veikur. – He is ill.

• Definite meaning (the) is usually shown by an ending on the noun, not a separate word:

  • bók – a book / book
  • bókin – the book

In Hún er mjög þakklát núna., the adjective þakklát is just describing her state; you don’t use any article here.

Is þakklát more like thankful or grateful, and how is it related to takk?

• þakklátur / þakklát / þakklátt ≈ grateful / thankful
  It describes a lasting feeling of gratitude.

• takk means thanks, like thanks!
• The verb að þakka means to thank.

They are related words:

• að þakka (to thank)
• þakklátur (grateful) – literally something like “thanks-inclined”

Example:

• Hún er mjög þakklát núna. – She is very grateful now.
• Hún þakkar þér kærlega. – She thanks you sincerely.
• Takk fyrir hjálpina. – Thanks for the help.

How would I say She is very grateful for the help now?

You can extend the sentence like this:

• Hún er mjög þakklát fyrir hjálpina núna.
  – She is very grateful for the help now.

Breakdown:

• fyrir – for
• hjálpina – the help (hjálp = help, hjálp-in-a = the-help-ACC.SG)
• núna – now

The structure is still: She – is – very – grateful – for – the help – now.

Could I say Hún er mjög þakklát í dag instead of núna?

Yes, but the nuance changes slightly:

• Hún er mjög þakklát núna.
  – She is very grateful now (at this moment / currently).

• Hún er mjög þakklát í dag.
  – She is very grateful today.

Núna focuses on the present moment or current period.
Í dag means today, the whole day in general.

Both are grammatical; choose the one that matches what you mean.

Where does mjög usually go in a sentence?

Mjög is an adverb of degree (very) and normally goes directly before the adjective or adverb it modifies:

• Hún er mjög þakklát. – She is very grateful.
• Hann er mjög þreyttur. – He is very tired.
• Þetta er mjög gott. – This is very good.

It does not usually go after the adjective:

• ✗ Hún er þakklát mjög. – unnatural / wrong in normal speech

So the pattern er mjög þakklát is the standard one.