Breakdown of Maður fær sjaldan afslátt, en viðskiptin eru góð.
vera
to be
en
but
góður
good
maðurinn
the man
fá
to get
sjaldan
rarely
viðskiptin
the business / the transaction
afslátturinn
the discount
Questions & Answers about Maður fær sjaldan afslátt, en viðskiptin eru góð.
Why does maður translate to "one" instead of "a man"?
In Icelandic, maður is very commonly used as an indefinite pronoun, just like "one" or the general "you" in English (as in "you rarely get a discount"). Even though it applies to anyone in general, it remains grammatically masculine and singular.
Why is viðskiptin plural (eru) when the English translation says "business is"?
The noun viðskipti (business, trade, or transactions) is grammatically neuter, but it is almost always used in the plural form in Icelandic. Because it is plural, it takes the plural verb eru (are) and the plural neuter definite article -in at the end.
If viðskiptin is plural, why does the adjective góð look like the feminine singular form?
It is actually the neuter plural form! For many adjectives, including góður (good), the neuter plural nominative form is exactly the same as the feminine singular nominative form (góð). Since viðskiptin is neuter plural, the adjective matches it perfectly.
Why is afslátt missing its ending here?
The dictionary form is afsláttur (discount), which is a masculine noun. It drops the -ur ending and becomes afslátt because it is in the accusative case, acting as the direct object of the verb fær (gets).
Learn Maður fær sjaldan afslátt, en viðskiptin eru góð and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free