Þó að veðrið sé slæmt, förum við samt út.

Although the weather is bad, we still go outside.

Breakdown of Þó að veðrið sé slæmt, förum við samt út.

• vera: to be
• við: we
• fara: to go
• veðrið: the weather

Questions & Answers about Þó að veðrið sé slæmt, förum við samt út.

What does þó að mean here, and why is it two words?

Þó að is a conjunction meaning although / even though.

It is written as two words because it is a fixed expression made up of:

• þó = though / nevertheless
• að = that

Together, they introduce a subordinate clause:

• Þó að veðrið sé slæmt = Although the weather is bad

In modern Icelandic, learners should treat þó að as one unit in meaning, even though it is written as two separate words.

Why does the sentence use sé instead of er?

Because þó að often triggers the subjunctive in Icelandic.

So instead of the normal present-tense form:

• veðrið er slæmt = the weather is bad

you get:

• veðrið sé slæmt

Here, sé is the subjunctive present of vera (to be).

This is very common after conjunctions and expressions involving uncertainty, concession, possibility, reported speech, and similar meanings. In this sentence, although creates that kind of environment, so sé is natural.

What exactly is sé? Is it a full verb form I need to learn?