Þolinmæði borgar sig.

Patience pays off.

Breakdown of Þolinmæði borgar sig.

• borga sig: to pay off
• þolinmæðin: the patience

Questions & Answers about Þolinmæði borgar sig.

What does Þolinmæði borgar sig literally mean, compared to the idiomatic meaning?

Literally, Þolinmæði borgar sig means “Patience pays itself.”

• Þolinmæði = patience
• borgar = pays (3rd person singular of að borga – to pay)
• sig = itself (reflexive pronoun, “oneself/itself”)

Idiomatic meaning: “Patience pays off.”
So Icelandic uses a very similar metaphor to English, just with a reflexive pronoun added.

What kind of word is Þolinmæði (gender, case, number, article)?

Þolinmæði is:

• a noun
• feminine
• here in the nominative singular (subject of the verb)
• without a definite article

Its dictionary form is also þolinmæði (indefinite, nominative singular).

With the definite article, it becomes þolinmæðin = “the patience.”
In this sentence, we use it in a general, abstract sense, so no article is needed, just as in English “Patience pays off.”

How do you pronounce Þolinmæði, especially the letters Þ and ð?

Approximate pronunciation: [THO-lin-myai-thi] (very rough English rendering).

Key points:

• Þ þ is pronounced like unvoiced “th” in “think, thin”.
  • So Þo- is like “tho-” with the th of “think”, not the th of “this.”
• ð (the second-to-last consonant in -mæði) is pronounced like voiced “th” in “this, that”.
• Stress in Icelandic is almost always on the first syllable: ÞÓ-lin-mæð-i.

So:

• Þo- = like “tho” with think-th
• -lin- = like “lin” in “linen”
• -mæði ≈ MYE-thi, with the th as in “this.”

What does borgar mean, and what is its infinitive form?

Borgar is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb að borga.

• að borga = to pay
• ég borga = I pay
• þú borgar = you pay
• hann / hún / það borgar = he / she / it pays

So in Þolinmæði borgar sig, the verb is “(it) pays” referring back to Þolinmæði (patience).

What is sig, and why is it used here?

Sig is a reflexive pronoun in the accusative case, meaning “oneself / itself / themselves.”

It is used when the subject and the object refer to the same entity:

• Hann elskar sig. = He loves himself.
• Þolinmæði borgar sig. = Patience pays itself (i.e. pays off).

In English we don’t normally say “pays itself”, but in Icelandic this reflexive construction is idiomatic and common with borgar sig.

Why is it borgar sig and not borgar sér?

Both sig and sér are reflexive pronouns, but in different cases:

• sig = accusative (direct object)
• sér = dative (indirect object / certain verb patterns)

The verb borga takes a direct object in the accusative, so the reflexive form must also be accusative:

• Hann borgar reikninginn. = He pays the bill. (reikninginn is accusative.)
• Therefore, Hann borgar sig. / Þolinmæði borgar sig. = The reflexive must be in the same case, accusative.

So borgar sig is grammatically required here; borgar sér would be wrong in this structure.

Is Þolinmæði borgar sig a fixed expression or just a regular sentence?

It functions as both:

• Grammatically, it is a regular, normal sentence: [subject] + [verb] + [reflexive object].
• In usage, borgar sig is also a very common idiomatic pattern, and Þolinmæði borgar sig is a proverb / saying, much like English “Patience pays off.”

You can hear it in many contexts, from everyday conversation to more formal speech.

Can I replace Þolinmæði with other nouns using the same pattern X borgar sig?

Yes. The pattern X borgar sig is very productive in Icelandic and means “X pays off / is worth it.” Examples:

• Að læra tungumál borgar sig.
  Learning languages pays off.

• Að leggja sig fram borgar sig.
  Making an effort pays off.

• Góð menntun borgar sig.
  A good education pays off.

• Að vera kurteis borgar sig alltaf.
  Being polite always pays off.

So Þolinmæði borgar sig fits into a broader, very common pattern.

Can I change the word order or leave out sig, like Þolinmæði borgar?

• You cannot normally leave out sig in this idiomatic sense.
  Þolinmæði borgar by itself would sound incomplete or odd; it would be interpreted as literally “Patience pays (something)” and listeners will wait for an object.
• Changing the order to Sig borgar þolinmæði is ungrammatical.
  In neutral statements, Icelandic word order is Subject – Verb – (Object):
  • Þolinmæði (S) borgar (V) sig (O).

So the natural, idiomatic form is just Þolinmæði borgar sig.

How would you say this sentence in the past or in another tense?

Change the verb borgar (present) to the appropriate tense of að borga:

• Past tense (simple past):
  Þolinmæði borgaði sig. = Patience paid off.

• Future-like meaning (usually formed periphrastically):
  Þolinmæði mun borga sig. = Patience will pay off.
  Þolinmæði á eftir að borga sig. = Patience is going to pay off / will yet pay off.

The subject Þolinmæði and the reflexive sig stay the same; only the verb changes.

Is þolinmæði countable? Can I say “a patience” or “patiences” in Icelandic?

Þolinmæði is treated as an uncountable (mass) noun, like “patience” in English.

• You don’t say “a patience” or “patiences” in Icelandic.
• You use modifiers like:
  • mikil þolinmæði = much / a lot of patience
  • smá þolinmæði = a little patience
  • enga þolinmæði = no patience

Examples:

• Hann hefur mikla þolinmæði. = He has a lot of patience.
• Ég hef enga þolinmæði. = I have no patience.

Are there related useful phrases with borgar sig that I should know?

Yes, the structure (það) borgar sig is very common:

• Það borgar sig að bíða.
  It pays off to wait. / It’s worth waiting.

• Það borgar sig ekki að ljúga.
  It doesn’t pay to lie. / It’s not worth lying.

• Það borgar sig að læra íslensku.
  It pays off to learn Icelandic.

You can think of (það) borgar sig (að …) as a general pattern for saying “It’s worth (doing X)” or “It pays off (to do X).”