Henni líkaði blómkálið vel, en henni líkaði baunirnar ekki eins mikið.

Because the verb líka works differently from English to like.

In Icelandic, the person who experiences the liking is usually in the dative case, not the nominative. So:

• henni = to her / her in the dative
• líkaði = liked / was pleasing

So Henni líkaði blómkálið is literally closer to:

• The cauliflower pleased her

That is why you get henni, not hún.

Líkaði is the past tense of líka.

• líkar = likes / is pleasing
• líkaði = liked / was pleasing

So:

• Henni líkar blómkálið = She likes the cauliflower.
• Henni líkaði blómkálið = She liked the cauliflower.

The verb agrees with the grammatical subject of the sentence, but with líka, learners should mainly remember the pattern:

• [dative person] + líka + thing liked

In sentences with líka, the thing being liked is treated as the grammatical subject.

So in:

• Henni líkaði blómkálið

the grammatical subject is blómkálið.

And in:

• henni líkaði baunirnar

the grammatical subject is baunirnar.

This feels backwards to English speakers because English makes she the subject in she liked X, but Icelandic structures it more like X pleased her.

The ending -ið is the definite article attached to the noun.

• blómkál = cauliflower
• blómkálið = the cauliflower

Icelandic usually adds the to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

So:

• blómkálið = the cauliflower
• baunirnar = the beans

For the same reason as blómkálið: the noun is definite.

• baunir = beans
• baunirnar = the beans

Here -nar is the definite ending for this feminine plural form.

So the sentence is specifically talking about the beans, not beans in general.

Because they are different nouns with different gender and number.

• blómkál is neuter singular
• baunir is feminine plural

That changes both the noun endings and the form of the attached definite article:

• blómkál → blómkálið
• baunir → baunirnar

So the difference is not caused by the verb; it is caused by the nouns themselves.

Vel means well, but with líka it often works like a lot / very much in English.

So:

• Henni líkaði blómkálið vel

means something like:

• She liked the cauliflower a lot
• She liked the cauliflower very much

This is a natural Icelandic way to strengthen líka.

Ekki eins mikið means not as much.

Breakdown:

• ekki = not
• eins = as
• mikið = much / a lot

So:

• henni líkaði baunirnar ekki eins mikið

means:

• she didn’t like the beans as much

The comparison is with the first part of the sentence: she liked the cauliflower more than the beans.

Yes, Icelandic can sometimes leave repeated material out, but repeating it is perfectly natural and often clearer.

The full sentence is:

• Henni líkaði blómkálið vel, en henni líkaði baunirnar ekki eins mikið.

Repeating henni líkaði makes the comparison explicit and balanced.

A shorter version might be possible in some contexts, but the repeated form is very normal, especially for learners to imitate.

En means but.

It connects the two contrasting ideas:

• she liked the cauliflower a lot
• but she did not like the beans as much

So en introduces the contrast between the two foods.

This sentence is in a fairly straightforward main-clause order, so it can look familiar.

Structure:

• Henni líkaði blómkálið vel
• en henni líkaði baunirnar ekki eins mikið

Even though the order looks somewhat English-like, the grammar underneath is different because:

• henni is dative, not nominative
• the thing liked is the grammatical subject
• líka does not behave like English like

So the surface order is simple, but the case structure is very Icelandic.

Yes — that is often the best way for English speakers to understand it.

Instead of thinking:

• She liked the cauliflower

it can help to think:

• The cauliflower pleased her

That explains why:

• henni is dative
• the food appears as the grammatical subject

This is not always how you should translate it, but it is a very useful mental model for learning the grammar of líka.

Here are the main dictionary forms:

• henni → from the pronoun hún = she
• líkaði → from the verb líka = to like / to please
• blómkálið → from blómkál = cauliflower
• vel = well / very much
• en = but
• baunirnar → from baunir (plural of baun) = beans
• ekki = not
• eins mikið = as much

This is useful because Icelandic words often appear in inflected forms, so the form in the sentence may not be the dictionary form.

In the present tense, it would be:

• Henni líkar blómkálið vel, en henni líkar baunirnar ekki eins mikið.

The only main change is:

• líkaði → líkar

So:

• líkar = likes
• líkaði = liked

The rest of the structure stays the same.