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Þvottavélin er orðin gömul, en hún virkar ennþá vel.

Þvottavélin er orðin gömul, en hún virkar ennþá vel.
The washing machine has become old, but it still works well.

Breakdown of Þvottavélin er orðin gömul, en hún virkar ennþá vel.

vera
to be
vel
well
gamall
old
en
but
verða
to become
virka
to work
ennþá
still
hún
it
þvottavélin
the washing machine
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Questions & Answers about Þvottavélin er orðin gömul, en hún virkar ennþá vel.

What does Þvottavélin literally mean, and why does it end in -in?

Þvottavélin = þvotta- (washing/laundry, related to þvottur) + vél (machine) + -in (the definite article attached to the noun).

  • vél is a feminine noun meaning machine.
  • vélin means the machine.
  • þvottavélin means the washing machine (literally the laundry-machine).
Why is it Þvottavélin er orðin... and not just Þvottavélin er...?

Because er orðin is a common Icelandic way to express “has become”:

  • vera (er) + past participle of verða (orðin) ≈ has become / has gotten.

So Þvottavélin er orðin gömul is not just “is old” as a static description; it suggests a change over time: it has become old.

What verb is orðin from, and what is its dictionary form?

orðin is the past participle of the verb verða (to become). You’ll often meet it in this pattern:

  • X er orðinn/orðin/orðið Y = X has become Y
Why is it orðin (not orðinn or orðið)?

It agrees with the subject Þvottavélin, which is:

  • feminine
  • singular
  • nominative

So the participle takes the feminine singular nominative form:

  • masculine: orðinn
  • feminine: orðin
  • neuter: orðið
  • plural: orðnir / orðnar / orðin (depending on gender)
Why is the adjective gömul and not gamall?

Adjectives also agree with the noun they describe. The base adjective is gamall (old), but it changes by gender/number/case.

With Þvottavélin (feminine singular nominative), you use:

  • masculine: gamall
  • feminine: gömul
  • neuter: gamalt

So: Þvottavélin er ... gömul.

Why isn’t it hin gamla þvottavél or something with a separate word for “the”?

In Icelandic, the usual way to say “the X” is to attach the article to the end of the noun:

  • þvottavél = a washing machine
  • þvottavélin = the washing machine

You can also use a separate determiner like hin, but that’s more stylistic/emphatic and not the default here.

Why does it say en hún virkar...? Why repeat she/it?

Icelandic generally requires an explicit subject in each finite clause, just like English:

  • Clause 1: Þvottavélin er orðin gömul
  • Clause 2: en hún virkar ennþá vel

Using hún avoids repeating the full noun and clearly marks the new clause.

Why is the washing machine referred to as hún (“she”)?

Because þvottavél is a feminine noun, and Icelandic pronouns usually follow grammatical gender, not “real-world” gender. So:

  • feminine noun → hún
  • masculine noun → hann
  • neuter noun → það

In English we’d normally say it, but Icelandic uses the noun’s grammatical gender.

What does virkar mean here, and what’s its base form?

virkar means “works / functions”.

  • Dictionary form (infinitive): virka
  • Present tense: ég virka, þú virkar, hún/það virkar, etc.

Here it means the machine still functions properly.

What’s the difference between ennþá and enn?

Both can mean “still”, but:

  • ennþá is very common for “still” in the sense of continuing up to now.
  • enn can also mean still, but it’s often used in other senses too (like even, or yet more), depending on context.

In this sentence, ennþá is a straightforward “still.”

Why is vel at the end, and what part of speech is it?

vel is an adverb meaning “well” (it modifies the verb virkar). Adverb placement in Icelandic is flexible, but verb + adverbs at the end is very natural:

  • hún virkar ennþá vel = it still works well

You can sometimes move adverbs for emphasis, but this order is neutral and common.

Is the comma before en required?

It’s standard (and usually expected) to put a comma before en when it connects two independent clauses:

  • Þvottavélin er orðin gömul, en hún virkar ennþá vel.

This matches the idea: “..., but ...” with a full clause on each side.

How would you negate the second part (“but it still doesn’t work well”)?

You typically negate with ekki, usually after the verb:

  • ... en hún virkar ennþá ekki vel. = ... but it still doesn’t work well. Or, if you mean it works but not well:
  • ... en hún virkar ennþá ekki nógu vel. = ... but it still doesn’t work well enough.