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Gluggakistan er lítil, en þar er enn staður fyrir tvær litlar pottaplöntur.

Gluggakistan er lítil, en þar er enn staður fyrir tvær litlar pottaplöntur.
The windowsill is small, but there is still room there for two small houseplants.
FromLesson 39inHardcore Icelandic
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Questions & Answers about Gluggakistan er lítil, en þar er enn staður fyrir tvær litlar pottaplöntur.

Why is it gluggakistan and not just gluggakista?

Gluggakista is the basic dictionary form and means windowsill.

The form gluggakistan means the windowsill. Icelandic usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word in front like English the.

So:

  • gluggakista = windowsill
  • gluggakistan = the windowsill

Because the noun ends in -a, the definite ending shows up here as -n.

Why is the adjective lítil?

Because it has to agree with gluggakistan.

Gluggakistan is:

  • singular
  • feminine
  • nominative

So the adjective also has to be singular, feminine, nominative:

  • lítill = masculine
  • lítil = feminine
  • lítið = neuter

That is why Icelandic says Gluggakistan er lítil.

Does þar here mean the same thing as English there in there is?

Not exactly.

In English, the there in there is is often just a dummy subject. It does not really point to a place.

In this Icelandic sentence, þar is a real adverb meaning there, referring back to the windowsill: basically there / on it / in that place.

So the second clause is more literally:

  • en þar er enn staður...
  • but there is still space there...
Why is the word order þar er enn staður and not þar staður er?

Because Icelandic main clauses usually follow a verb-second pattern.

That means the finite verb normally comes in the second position of the clause. In the second half of the sentence:

  • þar comes first
  • so er must come second

Then the subject can come after that:

  • þar er enn staður

This is a very normal Icelandic structure.

What does enn mean here?

Here enn means still.

So:

  • þar er enn staður = there is still room/space

In other contexts enn can also be translated as yet, depending on the sentence.

Why is it staður and not staðurinn?

Because the sentence is talking about some room/space, not the room/the place.

In this kind of existential idea — there is still room — Icelandic normally uses an indefinite noun:

  • staður = room/space/place
  • staðurinn = the place / the space

So staður is the natural choice here.

Why is staður singular?

Because Icelandic often uses singular staður for the idea of room/space.

Even though English often treats room as uncountable, Icelandic can use the singular noun staður in this kind of expression:

  • staður fyrir X = room/space for X

So staður here means something like space or room, not necessarily a literal place.

What is fyrir doing here?

Here fyrir means something like for in the sense of with space for.

So:

  • staður fyrir tvær litlar pottaplöntur
  • room for two small potted plants

A useful thing to know is that Icelandic prepositions often control case. In this sentence, fyrir takes the accusative, which affects the words that follow it.

Why is it tvær and not tveir or tvö?

Because pottaplöntur is a feminine noun in the plural.

The number two changes for gender in Icelandic:

  • tveir = masculine
  • tvær = feminine
  • tvö = neuter

Since pottaplanta is feminine, Icelandic uses tvær.

Why is it litlar?

Because litlar has to agree with pottaplöntur.

Here pottaplöntur is:

  • feminine
  • plural
  • after fyrir, so grammatically accusative

So the adjective must match:

  • litlar

That gives:

  • tvær litlar pottaplöntur = two small potted plants

Also, in this form, the feminine plural nominative and accusative happen to look the same, so you do not see a visible difference here.

Why is pottaplöntur one word?

Because Icelandic very often forms compound nouns as a single word.

Here:

  • pottur = pot
  • planta = plant

Together they make:

  • pottaplanta = potted plant / pot plant

And pottaplöntur is the plural form.

The vowel change from planta to plöntur is a normal plural pattern for some Icelandic nouns.

Why is there no separate word for the anywhere else in the sentence?

Because Icelandic usually puts the onto the noun itself instead of using a separate article like English.

That is why you get:

  • gluggakistan = the windowsill

But nouns can also stay indefinite:

  • staður = room/space
  • pottaplöntur = potted plants

So in one sentence Icelandic can mix:

  • a definite noun: gluggakistan
  • indefinite nouns: staður, pottaplöntur

without needing a separate word like English the or a in every case.

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