Questions & Answers about Ertu viss, eða ertu bara að giska?
What is the word-for-word breakdown of Ertu viss, eða ertu bara að giska?
A natural breakdown is:
- Ertu = are you
- viss = sure / certain
- eða = or
- ertu = are you
- bara = just / simply
- að giska = guessing (literally to guess, but here it works like English guessing)
So the structure is very close to English: Are you sure, or are you just guessing?
Why is ertu written as one word?
Ertu is the common combined form of ert þú.
- ert = are (2nd person singular of vera, to be)
- þú = you
In modern Icelandic, this kind of combination is very common in questions:
- Ertu... ? = Are you... ?
- Geturðu... ? = Can you... ?
- Viltu... ? = Do you want... ?
You may also see the separate form Ert þú..., but ertu is the normal everyday form.
Why does the sentence start with the verb instead of the subject?