Breakdown of Það er ekki mögulegt að fara út í dag.
Questions & Answers about Það er ekki mögulegt að fara út í dag.
Why does the sentence start with það?
Það often works like English it in sentences such as It is possible..., It is raining, or It is important....
In this sentence, það does not refer to a specific thing. It is a dummy subject or formal subject used because Icelandic, like English, usually wants a subject in the sentence.
So Það er ekki mögulegt... is structurally like It is not possible...
What does er mean here?
Er is the present tense singular form of the verb vera, meaning to be.
So:
- vera = to be
- er = is
That is why Það er... means It is...
Why is ekki placed after er?
Ekki means not.
In a basic Icelandic main clause, the finite verb usually comes early in the sentence, and ekki commonly follows it. So:
- Það er ekki mögulegt...
- literally: It is not possible...
This placement is very normal in Icelandic.
Compare:
- Hann kemur ekki. = He is not coming / He does not come.
- Þetta er ekki rétt. = This is not right.
Why is it mögulegt and not mögulegur or möguleg?
Mögulegt is the neuter singular form of the adjective mögulegur meaning possible.
The three basic singular forms are:
- mögulegur = masculine
- möguleg = feminine
- mögulegt = neuter
Here Icelandic uses the neuter form because the adjective is describing the idea expressed by the clause að fara út í dag, and with það used as a formal subject, neuter singular is the normal choice.
A useful comparison:
- Ferðin er möguleg. = The trip is possible.
Here ferðin is feminine, so möguleg is used. - Það er mögulegt að fara. = It is possible to go.
Here the neuter form mögulegt is used.
What is the function of að before fara?
Here að is the infinitive marker, like English to in to go.
So:
- að fara = to go
- að borða = to eat
- að lesa = to read
In this sentence, mögulegt að fara means possible to go.
Be aware that að can also be a preposition in other contexts, but here it is simply marking the infinitive.
Why is fara in that form?
Fara is the infinitive form of the verb, meaning to go.
Because it follows the infinitive marker að, it stays in the infinitive:
- að fara = to go
You are not seeing a tense here. The tense of the whole sentence is carried by er:
So the sentence is literally built as It is not possible to go out today.
What does út mean, and why is it there?
What does í dag mean literally?
Í dag means today.
Literally, it is made of:
- í = in
- dag = day
So historically it is something like in the day, but as a fixed expression it simply means today.
This is a very common Icelandic time expression.
Why is it dag and not dagur?
The dictionary form is dagur meaning day, but after the preposition í in this expression, the noun appears in a different case.
In í dag, dag is the form used in this fixed adverbial phrase.
For a learner, the most practical thing is to remember í dag as a complete chunk meaning today.
Can the word order be changed?
Yes, to some extent. Icelandic allows more flexibility than English, especially for emphasis.
For example, you could say:
This puts extra focus on today.
However, Icelandic still follows important word-order rules, especially the tendency for the finite verb to appear early in main clauses. So not every rearrangement will sound natural.
The original sentence is a very neutral, standard way to say it.
Is there another natural way to say the same thing?
How would this sentence be pronounced roughly?
A rough pronunciation guide could be:
- Það ≈ thahth
- er ≈ ehr
- ekki ≈ ehk-ih
- mögulegt ≈ MEU-gu-lekht
- að ≈ ahth
- fara ≈ FA-ra
- út ≈ oot
- í dag ≈ ee dahk
A few important sounds for English speakers:
- þ is like th in thing
- ð is like th in this, though at the end of a word it can sound weaker
- ö is a rounded vowel that does not exist exactly in English
- g in some Icelandic words can sound softer than English g
This is only approximate, but it can help you get started.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning IcelandicMaster Icelandic — from Það er ekki mögulegt að fara út í dag to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions