Breakdown of Mér líður verr eftir keppnina.
mér
me (dative)
líða
to feel
eftir
after / for (waiting for)
verr
worse (adverb)
keppnin
the competition
Questions & Answers about Mér líður verr eftir keppnina.
Why do we use the adverb verr instead of the adjective verri to say "worse"?
In English, we say "I feel worse," using an adjective. However, in Icelandic, the verb líða (to feel) always needs an adverb to describe how you feel. You are essentially saying "I feel more badly." The adjective verri is only used to describe nouns, like verri dagur (a worse day).
What is the base form of the irregular adverb verr?
The base form is illa (badly). The comparative is verr (worse), and the superlative is verst (worst). Because the base word is completely different from its comparative and superlative forms, these are highly irregular and just need to be memorized.
Why does this sentence start with Mér instead of Ég?
The verb líða (to feel well/badly) is an impersonal verb. This means it doesn't take a standard subject in the nominative case (ég). Instead, the person experiencing the feeling is the "object" of the feeling and must be in the dative case, which is mér for "me".
Why is keppnina in the accusative case here? Doesn't the preposition eftir usually take the dative?
The preposition eftir takes the dative case when it means physical location or following something physically (like walking after someone). But when eftir refers to time, meaning "after a certain event," it takes the accusative case. Since keppni (competition) is a feminine noun, its definite accusative form is keppnina.
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