Breakdown of Þetta er, sko, mjög gott.
þetta
this
vera
to be
góður
good
mjög
very
sko
you know, look (softener)
Questions & Answers about Þetta er, sko, mjög gott.
Why use the neuter form þetta instead of þessi for "this"?
When you are talking about a general situation, a concept, or something you haven't specifically named yet, you use the neuter form þetta. You would only use the masculine or feminine þessi if you were pointing to a specific noun with that gender.
What exactly does the word sko do in this sentence?
Sko literally means "look," but in everyday spoken Icelandic, it acts as a filler word. It works just like saying "you know" or "like" in English. It doesn't change the core meaning, but adding it makes your Icelandic sound much more natural and conversational.
Why is the adjective "good" written as gott here instead of góður?
In Icelandic, adjectives must match the gender of the thing they describe. Because the sentence starts with the general neuter pronoun þetta, the adjective at the end must also be in the neuter form, which is gott. If you were talking about a specific masculine word, like food (matur), you would use the masculine form góður.
Can I put the filler word sko somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes, filler words are very flexible! You will very frequently hear sko placed at the very end of the sentence instead, like Þetta er mjög gott, sko. Putting it at the end often adds a little bit of emphasis, similar to saying "This is very good, you know!"
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