In English, we say something is "half as expensive" or "twice as big." Icelandic expresses this slightly differently: things are "cheaper by half" or "two times bigger."
To build these comparisons, use helmingi (by half) or tvisvar sinnum (two times), followed immediately by an adjective in its comparative form (like ódýrari for "cheaper", rather than ódýr for "cheap").
| The quality product is half as expensive at the sale. | Gæðavaran er helmingi ódýrari á útsölunni. |
| Is the new shopping mall half as big? | Er nýja verslunarmiðstöðin helmingi minni? |
| The consumer habits are twice as expensive now. | Neysluvenjurnar eru tvisvar sinnum dýrari núna. |
| This quality product is twice as durable as the cheap one. | Þessi gæðavara er tvisvar sinnum endingarbetri en sú ódýra. |
Discussing Consumer Habits
When talking about shopping, you will often need to explain your reasoning or set conditions.
Explaining causes with "út af": The phrase út af translates to "because of" and always forces the following noun into the dative case.
| The purchases are impulsive because of the sale. | Innkaupin eru hvatvís út af útsölunni. |
Conditions with "nema" (unless): Because nema introduces a hypothetical or uncertain condition, the verb following it must be in the subjunctive mood. For the verb vera (to be), you will often see the subjunctive forms sé (for he/she/it) or sért (for you).
| The purchase is too expensive unless the sale is good. | Innkaupið er of dýrt nema útsalan sé góð. |
| We meet at the shopping mall unless you are tired. | Við hittumst í verslunarmiðstöðinni nema þú sért þreyttur. |