Breakdown of Samband okkar er sterkt, þó að við búum í mismunandi löndum.
vera
to be
við
we
í
in
búa
to live
Questions & Answers about Samband okkar er sterkt, þó að við búum í mismunandi löndum.
Why is it “Samband okkar” and not “okkar samband” like English “our relationship”?
In Icelandic, possessive pronouns usually come after the noun, not before it.
- samband okkar = our relationship / the relationship of us
- okkar samband is possible but sounds marked or special in most contexts (often used for emphasis or contrast).
So the neutral, everyday way to say our relationship is samband okkar. The noun itself carries the main stress, the possessive follows it.
What exactly does “Samband” mean here? Is it only “relationship”?
Samband is quite broad and can mean:
- relationship (romantic or not)
- connection / contact (between people, places, ideas, devices)
- link / relation in a more abstract sense
In this sentence it’s most naturally understood as relationship (between people), but context could also make it something like our connection or our bond.
Why is “sterkt” neuter? Shouldn’t an adjective agree with the people (we) somehow?