Mér fannst brokkolíið betra í dag en í gær.

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Breakdown of Mér fannst brokkolíið betra í dag en í gær.

• í gær: yesterday
• betri: better
• en: than

Questions & Answers about Mér fannst brokkolíið betra í dag en í gær.

Why is it mér fannst instead of ég fannst?

Because the verb finnast uses a dative experiencer. In other words, the person who has the opinion or impression is put in the dative case:

• mér finnst = I think / I find / it seems to me
• þér finnst = you think
• honum finnst = he thinks

So mér is correct here. Ég fannst is not grammatical.

What verb is fannst, and how is it related to finnst?

Fannst is the past tense of finnast.

• mér finnst = I think / I find / it seems to me
• mér fannst = I thought / I found / it seemed to me

This verb is related to finna but is not used in exactly the same way. In sentences like this, finnast often expresses a personal judgment or impression rather than physically finding something.

Why is the word order Mér fannst brokkolíið...?

Icelandic main clauses usually follow the V2 rule: the finite verb tends to come in the second position.

Here:

• Mér = first element
• fannst = finite verb, so it comes second
• brokkolíið = the subject comes after the verb

So the structure is completely normal for Icelandic.

You could also rearrange it for emphasis, for example:

• Brokkolíið fannst mér betra í dag en í gær.

That would put more focus on brokkolíið.