Hljóðfærið hljómar vel.

The instrument sounds good.

Breakdown of Hljóðfærið hljómar vel.

• vel: well
• hljóma: to sound
• hljóðfærið: the instrument

Questions & Answers about Hljóðfærið hljómar vel.

What is the difference between hljóðfæri and hljóðfærið?

Hljóðfæri is the basic dictionary form (indefinite, “a musical instrument”).

Hljóðfærið has the definite ending -ið, so it means “the musical instrument” or simply “the instrument.”

In Icelandic, the definite article (the) is usually attached to the end of the noun as a suffix instead of being a separate word, so:

• hljóðfæri = a (musical) instrument
• hljóðfærið = the (musical) instrument

What gender, number, and case is hljóðfærið here?

In Hljóðfærið hljómar vel.:

• hljóðfærið is neuter gender
• it is singular
• it is in the nominative case

Reason: it is the subject of the sentence, and subjects normally appear in the nominative case in Icelandic.

What is the base form of hljóðfærið, and what does it literally mean?

The base (dictionary) form is hljóðfæri.

It’s a compound:

• hljóð = sound
• færi (related to fár / færi “gear, equipment, means”) = a device / implement

So hljóðfæri literally means “sound-device”, i.e. a musical instrument.

How is hljóðfæri declined?

Hljóðfæri is a regular neuter noun. Its declension:

Singular

• Nominative: hljóðfæri / hljóðfærið (definite)
• Accusative: hljóðfæri / hljóðfærið
• Dative: hljóðfæri / hljóðfærinu
• Genitive: hljóðfæris / hljóðfærisins

Plural

• Nominative: hljóðfæri / hljóðfærin (definite)
• Accusative: hljóðfæri / hljóðfærin
• Dative: hljóðfærum
• Genitive: hljóðfæra

So “the instruments sound good” would be:

• Hljóðfærin hljóma vel.

Why is the verb hljómar used here, and how is að hljóma conjugated?

The verb is að hljóma = to sound (as in “to make a sound / to sound good/bad”).

In Hljóðfærið hljómar vel, the subject hljóðfærið is 3rd person singular, so the verb in the present tense is hljómar (“sounds”).

Present tense of að hljóma:

• ég hljóma – I sound
• þú hljómar – you (sg.) sound
• hann/hún/það hljómar – he/she/it sounds
• við hljómum – we sound
• þið hljómið – you (pl.) sound
• þeir/þær/þau hljóma – they sound

So:

• Hljóðfærið hljómar vel. = The instrument sounds good.
• Hljóðfærin hljóma vel. = The instruments sound good.

Why is it vel and not gott if the English translation is “sounds good”?

English “sounds good” uses good as an adjective, but in the Icelandic sentence, we are describing how it sounds (an adverbial meaning), so Icelandic uses the adverb vel (“well”).

• vel = well (adverb)
• góður / góð / gott = good (adjective, masculine / feminine / neuter)

You could say:

• Hljóðfærið er gott. = The instrument is good. (adjective)
• Hljóðfærið hljómar vel. = The instrument sounds good / sounds well. (adverb)

So vel fits because it modifies the verb hljómar (“sounds”), not the noun directly.

Can I say Hljóðfærið hljómar gott?

No, that sounds wrong to native speakers.

Gott is an adjective (neuter form of góður), but you need an adverb to describe the verb hljómar. The correct choice is vel.

Correct patterns:

• Hljóðfærið hljómar vel. – The instrument sounds good/well.
• Hljóðfærið er gott. – The instrument is good.

Is the word order the same as in English? Could I say Vel hljómar hljóðfærið?

The normal, neutral word order in Icelandic is indeed similar to English here:

• Hljóðfærið hljómar vel.
  Subject – Verb – Adverb

You can say Vel hljómar hljóðfærið, but that:

• sounds poetic, old-fashioned, or very marked in everyday speech
• puts extra emphasis on vel (“well”) or on the whole phrase

For ordinary, neutral conversation, Hljóðfærið hljómar vel is the natural choice.

How would I say “It sounds good” if I don’t want to name the instrument?

You can use the dummy subject það (“it”), just as in English:

• Það hljómar vel. – It sounds good.

This can refer to:

• an instrument you’ve just been talking about
• a plan, idea, suggestion

For example:

• Þetta lag hljómar vel. – This song sounds good.
• Hugmyndin þín hljómar vel. – Your idea sounds good.
• Það hljómar vel. – That/it sounds good.

Can the subject be dropped, like “Hljómar vel” on its own?

Grammatically, Icelandic normally requires an explicit subject (e.g. Það hljómar vel.).

In informal speech, people might sometimes say just:

• Hljómar vel.

when the subject is completely obvious from context, similar to English “Sounds good.” However:

• in writing or in careful speech, you should include the subject:
  Það hljómar vel. or Hljóðfærið hljómar vel.

How do you pronounce hljóðfærið hljómar vel? Any tricky sounds for English speakers?

Key points:

• Stress is on the first syllable of each word:
  HLJÓÐ-fæ-rið HLJÓ-mar vel.
• hlj-: the h is pronounced, and the l is voiceless (l̥). It’s like saying h and lj together.
• ð in hljóð- and -rið is a soft th sound, like this.
• æ in -fæ- is like the English eye.
• ó is a long o sound (like in go, but tenser and longer).
• vel: the v is like English v, e like bed, l clear.

Very rough approximation for an English ear:
“HYOTH-fy-rit HYOH-mar vel” (but Icelandic vowels are purer and more precise).

How would I say “The instruments sound bad” using the same pattern?

You keep the same structure and change:

• the noun to plural definite: hljóðfærin (the instruments)
• the adverb vel (“well”) to illa (“badly”)

So:

• Hljóðfærin hljóma illa. – The instruments sound bad.

Does að hljóma vel only work for physical sound, or can it mean “sound like a good idea”?

Að hljóma vel works both for literal sound and for the more abstract English meaning “to sound like a good idea / to seem good.”

Examples:

• Literal:
  Hljóðfærið hljómar vel. – The instrument sounds good.

• Abstract:
  Þessi áætlun hljómar vel. – This plan sounds good.
  Tilboðið hljómar vel. – The offer sounds good.

So the sentence pattern is very flexible and close in usage to English “sounds good.”