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Þjónustan í bakaríinu er góð og viðskiptavinirnir eru ánægðir.

Þjónustan í bakaríinu er góð og viðskiptavinirnir eru ánægðir.
The service at the bakery is good, and the customers are happy.

Breakdown of Þjónustan í bakaríinu er góð og viðskiptavinirnir eru ánægðir.

vera
to be
góður
good
í
at
og
and
bakaríið
the bakery
ánægður
happy
þjónustan
the service
viðskiptavinurinn
the customer
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Questions & Answers about Þjónustan í bakaríinu er góð og viðskiptavinirnir eru ánægðir.

Why does Þjónustan end with -n? Is that the?

Yes. Þjónusta means service (indefinite). Þjónustan means the service (definite).
Icelandic usually attaches the definite article to the end of the noun (instead of a separate word like English the).

What case is Þjónustan here, and how can I tell?

It’s nominative because it’s the subject of the sentence (the thing being described).
Many feminine nouns in nominative singular definite end in -in (here realized as -an because the noun ends in -a): þjónust-a → þjónust-an.

Why is it í bakaríinu and not just í bakarí?

Bakarí is a bakery (indefinite). Bakaríið is the bakery (definite).
When you add the case ending for the preposition í (here: location), you get bakaríinu = in the bakery.

Why does í cause this form (bakaríinu)? What case is it?

Here í means being in a place (no movement), so it takes the dative: í + dative.
If it meant motion into a place, Icelandic would typically use í + accusative (e.g., “going into the bakery”).

Why is the adjective góð and not something like góður or gott?

Adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.
Þjónustan is feminine, singular, nominative, so the adjective is góð (fem. sg. nom.).
(Compare: masculine góður, neuter gott in nominative singular.)

What’s going on with viðskiptavinirnir? Why is it such a long word?

It’s built in pieces:

  • viðskipta- (related to business/commerce)
  • vinur = “friend” → in this compound it means “customer/client” (someone who “does business” with you)
  • plural nominative: viðskiptavinir
  • definite plural ending: -nir → viðskiptavinirnir = the customers

So it means the customers as a definite plural subject.

Why does it use eru (plural) instead of er?

Because the subject changes.

  • Þjónustan er ... (singular → er)
  • viðskiptavinirnir eru ... (plural → eru)

Icelandic repeats the verb when you have a new clause with a different subject, just like English often does.

Why is it ánægðir and not ánægður / ánægð / ánægt?

Viðskiptavinirnir is masculine plural nominative, so the predicative adjective must match: ánægðir (masc. pl. nom.).
Common matching set (nominative):

  • masc. sg.: ánægður
  • fem. sg.: ánægð
  • neut. sg.: ánægt
  • masc. pl.: ánægðir (used here)
Is the word order fixed? Could it be rearranged?

This sentence uses a very common neutral order: Subject + verb + adjective + og + subject + verb + adjective.
You can rearrange for emphasis, but Icelandic has V2 tendencies in main clauses (the finite verb typically comes early), so not every rearrangement is equally natural.

How do I pronounce the tricky letters here, especially Þ and ð?

Key sounds:

  • Þ/þ = English th in think (voiceless) → Þjónustan
  • ð = English th in this (voiced) → ánægðir Also:
  • Stress is usually on the first syllable: ÞJÓ-nus-tan, VÍð-skip-ta-..., ÁN-æg-ðir.