Existence and availability (vera til)

To express that something exists or is available, Icelandic uses the particle verb vera til.

to exist / be available
vera til

Conjugate the base verb vera (to be) to match the subject, and leave the particle til exactly as it is.

Is this manuscript available in the archive?
Er þetta handrit til í skjalasafninu?
Are there many old manuscripts available in this museum?
Eru til mörg gömul handrit á þessu safni?
Does the archivist know whether the document exists?
Veit skjalavörðurinn hvort skjalið er til?

Negating "Vera til"

To say something does not exist or is not available, place a negation word like ekki (not) or ekki lengur (no longer) before the particle til.

I searched for the copy but it does not exist.
Ég leitaði að eintakinu en það er ekki til.
It is no longer available. The manuscript is lost.
Það er ekki lengur til. Handritið er glatað.