Eftir kvöldgönguna í skóginum er hún hressari.

After the evening walk in the forest she is more energetic.

Breakdown of Eftir kvöldgönguna í skóginum er hún hressari.

• vera: to be
• hún: she
• í: in
• eftir: after
• skógur: the forest
• kvöldganga: the evening walk
• hressari: more energetic

Questions & Answers about Eftir kvöldgönguna í skóginum er hún hressari.

What does Eftir mean here, and which case does it govern in this sentence?

Here Eftir means after in a temporal sense: After the evening walk in the forest, she is more refreshed.

With this temporal meaning (after [an event]), eftir governs the accusative case. That is why kvöldgangan “the evening walk” appears as kvöldgönguna (accusative singular with the definite article).

Why is it kvöldgönguna and not something like kvöldganga or kvöldgöngu?

The noun kvöldganga (evening walk) is a weak feminine noun. Its forms (indefinite) are roughly:

• Nom. sg.: kvöldganga – an evening walk
• Acc. sg.: kvöldgöngu – an evening walk (object form)
• Dat. sg.: kvöldgöngu
• Gen. sg.: kvöldgöngu

To make it definite (“the evening walk”), you add the article ending:

• Nom. sg. definite: kvöldgangan – the evening walk
• Acc. sg. definite: kvöldgönguna – the evening walk (object form)

Because eftir (with the meaning “after”) takes the accusative, and because the walk is definite, we get kvöldgönguna (accusative definite), not kvöldganga (nominative indef.) or kvöldgöngu (indefinite accusative).

What is the structure and literal meaning of the word kvöldganga?

Kvöldganga is a compound:

• kvöld = evening
• ganga = walk, walking, a walk

So literally it is evening-walk or an evening walk. Compounding like this is extremely common in Icelandic.

Why is it í skóginum and not í skóginn?

The preposition í can take either accusative or dative, with a change of meaning:

• í + accusative = into (movement into something)
  
  • í skóginn = into the forest
• í + dative = in / inside (location, no movement into)
  
  • í skóginum = in the forest

In the sentence, the meaning is “the evening walk in the forest” (location), not “walk into the forest” (direction), so í takes the dative, giving skóginum (dative singular definite of skógur, forest).

Why is it skóginum and not skógurinn?

Skógur (forest, wood) is a masculine noun. In the singular definite:

• Nominative: skógurinn – the forest (as subject)
• Accusative: skóginn
• Dative: skóginum
• Genitive: skógarins

After í with a locational meaning (“in”), you must use the dative. So you get í skóginum (“in the forest”), not í skógurinn, which would be an incorrect case form in this context.

What is the function of er in this sentence?

Er here is simply the present tense of “to be” (the copula að vera):

• er hún hressari = she is more refreshed / she is in better spirits

It links the subject hún (“she”) to the predicate adjective hressari (“more refreshed / more lively”). It does not mean “becomes” here; that would normally be expressed with verður (e.g. hún verður hressari – she becomes more refreshed).

What does hressari mean, and what is the base form?

The base (positive) form is the adjective hress, which roughly means refreshed, lively, in good spirits, energetic.

The comparative degree of hress is hressari:

• Positive: hún er hress – she is refreshed / in good spirits
• Comparative: hún er hressari – she is more refreshed / in better spirits
• Superlative: hún er hressust – she is the most refreshed / in best spirits (predicate form)

So hressari literally means more hress, typically translated as more refreshed / more lively / feeling better in context.

Why does the adjective appear as hressari and not some other form? Does it agree with hún?

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

• Gender
• Number
• Case

Here the subject is hún, which is feminine, singular, and in the nominative. So the adjective is also in the feminine singular nominative comparative form:

• Masc. nom. sg. comp.: hressari
• Fem. nom. sg. comp.: hressari (same form here)
• Neut. nom. sg. comp.: hressara

Since hún is feminine nominative singular, hressari is the correct agreeing form.

Can the word order be changed? For example, can I say Hún er hressari eftir kvöldgönguna í skóginum?

Yes. Both sentences are grammatical:

• Eftir kvöldgönguna í skóginum er hún hressari.
• Hún er hressari eftir kvöldgönguna í skóginum.

The second one (starting with Hún) is a very natural “neutral” order: subject + verb + complement + adverbial. The original sentence front-loads the time expression Eftir kvöldgönguna í skóginum for emphasis or style, roughly: After the evening walk in the forest, she is more refreshed.

In Icelandic, placing temporal or locational phrases at the beginning is frequent and stylistically normal.

Could you also say eftir kvöldgöngu í skóginum without the definite article? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, you could say:

• Eftir kvöldgöngu í skóginum er hún hressari.
  = After an evening walk in the forest, she is more refreshed.

The difference is:

• kvöldgönguna (definite) = the evening walk, a specific walk that speaker and listener both have in mind.
• kvöldgöngu (indefinite) = an evening walk, more general or not previously specified.

So dropping the definite article makes it less specific and more like a general situation or any such walk.

Why is eftir followed by the accusative here, but sometimes I see eftir with the dative?

Eftir can govern either accusative or dative, depending on meaning:

1. Temporal “after” → accusative

   • Eftir kvöldgönguna – after the evening walk
     (event happening after another event)

2. Other meanings (e.g. “looking after”, “in search of”, “according to”) often use the dative:

   • Hann fer eftir reglunum. – He follows the rules. (dative plural reglunum)
   • Hún leitar eftir hjálp. – She is seeking help. (dative hjálp)

In your sentence the clear temporal meaning “after [an event]” triggers the accusative.

How is the sentence pronounced? Any tricky sounds?

Approximate IPA (one natural pronunciation):

• Eftir kvöldgönguna í skóginum er hún hressari.
  [ˈɛftɪr ˈkʰvœl̥tˌkœiŋkʏna iː ˈskouːjɪnʏm ɛr hʏːn ˈr̥ɛsːarɪ]

Key points for learners:

• ð in eftir is not there; the word is spelled with ð in other cases (eftir is just with f-t, no ð), so you just say [ft].
• ö in kvöld- / -göngu- is like a mid front rounded vowel, similar to German ö in schön.
• ng before g/k (as in göngu) is pronounced [ŋk].
• The double ss in hressari is long /sː/, and hr- is pronounced with a voiceless [r̥] after [h].
• Stress is on the first syllable of almost every word: EFT‑ir KVÖLD‑ganga SKÓG‑inum HRESS‑ari.