Þetta er víst rétt.

to be

Breakdown of Þetta er víst rétt.

• þetta: this
• réttur: right
• víst: apparently; surely

Questions & Answers about Þetta er víst rétt.

What does þetta mean here, and why is it þetta rather than það?

Þetta is the neuter singular demonstrative pronoun meaning this.

In Þetta er víst rétt, it refers to this thing / this statement / this situation.

Why not það?

• þetta = this
• það = that or sometimes it

So Þetta er víst rétt feels like This is apparently correct / This seems to be right, while Það er víst rétt would usually mean That is probably right or That’s apparently right.

Also, þetta is very common when pointing to something just mentioned, something nearby, or something the speaker is focusing on.

What form is er?

Er is the present tense of the verb að vera (to be).

So:

• ég er = I am
• þú ert = you are
• hann/hún/það er = he/she/it is

In this sentence, er simply means is.

What does víst mean in this sentence?