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Það er skemmtilegra að lesa í skóginum en heima.

Það er skemmtilegra að lesa í skóginum en heima.
It is more fun to read in the forest than at home.

Breakdown of Það er skemmtilegra að lesa í skóginum en heima.

vera
to be
það
it
lesa
to read
heima
at home
að
to
í
in
en
than
skógurinn
the forest
skemmtilegra
more fun
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Questions & Answers about Það er skemmtilegra að lesa í skóginum en heima.

Why does the sentence start with Það er ...? What does það refer to?

Það er ... is a very common impersonal way to start sentences in Icelandic, similar to English It is ... in It’s fun to...
Here það doesn’t point to a specific thing; it’s a “dummy” subject used to introduce an evaluation of an action: It is more enjoyable to read...

Why is it skemmtilegra and not skemmtilegur / skemmtileg / skemmtilegt?

Because skemmtilegra is the comparative form of skemmtilegur (fun / enjoyable).

  • Base form: skemmtilegur (m.), skemmtileg (f.), skemmtilegt (n.)
  • Comparative: skemmtilegri (m/f), skemmtilegra (n)

In this Það er ... structure, the adjective is often used in the neuter singular form, so you get skemmtilegra.

What does the ending -ra mean in skemmtilegra?

The -ra marks the neuter singular comparative form for many adjectives. It corresponds to English more ... (or -er) in comparisons.
So skemmtilegra = more enjoyable / more fun.

Why is there an að before lesa?

að is the normal marker used before an infinitive in Icelandic in many constructions—similar to English to.
So að lesa = to read.

(You’ll also see infinitives without að after some verbs, but after an evaluation like Það er skemmtilegra ..., að is expected.)

What is í skóginum grammatically? Why that form?

í skóginum means in the forest, and it uses:

  • the preposition í (in)
  • the noun skógur (forest) in the dative case because í
    • location/static position takes dative

skóginum = the forest in dative singular definite (roughly: in + the forest).

How do I know whether í takes dative or accusative?

With í (and also á), the case depends on meaning:

  • Dative = location (no movement): lesa í skóginum (read in the forest)
  • Accusative = motion/direction: fara í skóginn (go into the forest)

Here you’re already there reading, so it’s dative: í skóginum.

Why does it use en for “than”?

en is the standard word for than in comparisons:

  • skemmtilegra ... en ... = more enjoyable ... than ...

You may also encounter heldur en in some contexts (often for emphasis or contrast), but plain en is the default and very common.

Why is it heima and not something like í heimanum or á heimili?

heima is an adverb meaning at home. It’s a fixed form and very common in everyday Icelandic.
So ... en heima is literally ... than at home.

You can express similar ideas with other phrases, but heima is the most natural equivalent of English at home in sentences like this.

Is the word order flexible? Could I also say Að lesa í skóginum er skemmtilegra en heima?

Yes. Both are possible:

  • Það er skemmtilegra að lesa í skóginum en heima. (very common, “It’s more fun to...”)
  • Að lesa í skóginum er skemmtilegra en heima. (also correct; puts more focus on reading in the forest as the topic)

The Það er ... version often sounds more conversational and neutral.

Does en heima mean “than (reading) at home” even though lesa isn’t repeated?

Yes. Icelandic (like English) often omits repeated material in comparisons.
... en heima is understood as ... en (að lesa) heima = ... than (to read) at home.