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Því fleiri blöðrur sem við blásum upp, því skemmtilegra finnst henni það.

Því fleiri blöðrur sem við blásum upp, því skemmtilegra finnst henni það.
The more balloons we blow up, the more fun she thinks it is.
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Questions & Answers about Því fleiri blöðrur sem við blásum upp, því skemmtilegra finnst henni það.

What does the pattern Því … sem …, því … mean, and how does it work?

It’s the Icelandic correlative comparative construction: the …-er …, the …-er ….

  • Því + comparative introduces each half:
    Því fleiri … = the more …
    því skemmtilegra … = the more fun/entertaining …
  • sem links the first clause (like that/which in this special pattern):
    Því fleiri blöðrur sem við blásum upp = The more balloons that we blow up
  • The comma commonly separates the two halves.
Why is því used twice, and what does því literally mean here?

In this construction, því is a fixed marker meaning roughly by that/therefore (to that degree)—it signals the “degree” comparison.

So the structure is basically:

  • By that (greater) amount X happens, by that (greater) amount Y happens.

Even if you don’t translate því literally, you keep it in both halves in Icelandic.

Why is fleiri used instead of meira?

Because fleiri is the comparative of margir/margar/mörg (many) and is used with countable plural nouns.

  • fleiri blöðrur = more balloons (countable)
  • meira is used with uncountable/mass nouns or abstract quantities:
    meira vatn = more water, meira fjör = more fun (as a noun)
What case is blöðrur in, and why?

Here blöðrur is the direct object of the verb phrase blása upp (blow up/inflate), which takes an object in the accusative.

So:

  • við (we) = subject (nominative)
  • blöðrur (balloons) = object (accusative)

Note: for blaðra (feminine), blöðrur looks the same in nominative and accusative plural, so you don’t “see” the case difference in the form here.

Is blásum upp one verb or two words, and what does upp do?

It’s a verb + particle construction:

  • blása = to blow
  • upp = particle meaning up, often creating the meaning inflate / blow up

So blása upp functions like English blow up (inflate). In Icelandic, the particle often stays as a separate word: blásum upp.

Why is there sem after blöðrur? Is it a relative pronoun?

In this specific “the more…the more…” structure, sem is best thought of as a linking word required by the pattern Því + comparative … sem ….

It resembles a relative marker, but you usually don’t translate it directly. It helps form the clause:

  • Því fleiri blöðrur sem við blásum upp (fixed pattern)

You generally wouldn’t replace it with að here.

Why does it say skemmtilegra and not something like skemmtilegri to match henni (her)?

Because the adjective is not agreeing with henni. Henni is in the dative and is the experiencer with the verb finnast.

The adjective skemmtilegra is a predicative complement connected to það (or the whole situation), and it appears in neuter singular comparative, which is very common in Icelandic for “it is (more) ADJ” type statements.

So:

  • henni = “to her / in her opinion”
  • það = “it / that (situation)”
  • skemmtilegra = “more fun” (neuter comparative)
How does finnst henni það work grammatically? Who is the subject?

This uses the impersonal verb finnast (present: finnst) meaning to seem/feel (to someone).

Typical structure:

  • [something] finnst [someone-DAT] [adjective] or
  • Það finnst [someone-DAT] [adjective] (“It seems/feels ADJ to someone”)

In … því skemmtilegra finnst henni það:

  • henni is the experiencer in the dative (“to her”)
  • það is the grammatical “it/that” (often treated as the subject-like element)
  • skemmtilegra is the predicate adjective (“more fun”)

A very common alternative word order is:

  • … því skemmtilegra finnst henni það = … the more fun it seems to her or also:
  • … því skemmtilegra finnst henni það ≈ … the more fun she finds it
Could I also say Því fleiri blöðrur sem við blásum upp, því skemmtilegra finnst henni það with a different word order in the second half?

Yes. Icelandic allows several natural variants, with slightly different emphasis. For example:

  • … því skemmtilegra finnst henni það. (your sentence; emphasis on skemmtilegra)
  • … því skemmtilegra finnst það henni. (more emphasis/contrast on henni)
  • … því finnst henni það skemmtilegra. (more neutral “then it feels more fun to her” flow)

All keep the comparative logic; word order changes mainly affect focus.

Why is the comparative formed as skemmtilegra? What is the base form?

The base adjective is skemmtilegur (fun/entertaining).

Comparative (roughly):

  • masculine/feminine: skemmtilegri
  • neuter (and very commonly used predicatively): skemmtilegra

In your sentence, skemmtilegra appears because that neuter comparative is the default choice in this kind of “it is more ADJ” predicative setup.

Is the comma required in this sentence?

It’s standard to put a comma between the two correlated comparative clauses:

  • Því fleiri … , því skemmtilegra …

You may sometimes see punctuation variation in informal writing, but the comma is the normal, recommended way to write it.