Word
Góð orðabók er gagnleg þegar ég skrifa lengri texta.
Meaning
A good dictionary is useful when I write longer texts.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Góð orðabók er gagnleg þegar ég skrifa lengri texta.
ég
I
vera
to be
skrifa
to write
þegar
when
Questions & Answers about Góð orðabók er gagnleg þegar ég skrifa lengri texta.
What is the basic structure of this sentence?
It breaks down like this:
- Góð orðabók = a good dictionary
- er = is
- gagnleg = useful
- þegar = when
- ég skrifa = I write
- lengri texta = longer texts
So the structure is:
- subject: Góð orðabók
- verb: er
- predicate adjective: gagnleg
- time clause: þegar ég skrifa lengri texta
Why is orðabók feminine?
Because orðabók is a compound noun, and in Icelandic the gender of a compound usually comes from the last part.
- orð = word
- bók = book
Since bók is feminine, orðabók is feminine too.
This is a very useful rule in Icelandic: the final element of the compound usually determines the gender.
Why is it góð and not góða?