Breakdown of En hvað þessi brandari er gamall.
vera
to be
gamall
old
hvað
what
þessi
this (m/f)
en hvað
how (in exclamations)
brandarinn
the joke
Questions & Answers about En hvað þessi brandari er gamall.
Why doesn't the verb come immediately after en hvað in this sentence?
The exclamative phrase en hvað is followed by the normal subject + verb word order (þessi brandari er). If you used the other exclamative word taught in this lesson, mikið, the verb would swap places with the subject: mikið er þessi brandari gamall.
Does en hvað literally mean "but what"?
Literally, yes. However, in Icelandic, these two words combine into an idiomatic exclamatory phrase meaning "how" or "what a". It is used to express strong emphasis or surprise.
I often see þetta used for "this". Why is it þessi here?
You use the default neuter þetta when "this" stands alone as the subject, like in þetta er gamall brandari (this is an old joke). But in this sentence, "this" directly points to the masculine noun brandari ("this joke"). Because they are attached, "this" must match the masculine nominative case of the noun, becoming þessi.
Why does the adjective gamall end in -ll here?
Gamall (old) is describing brandari (joke), which is a masculine noun. Because it follows the verb er rather than sitting directly in front of the noun with a definite article, it uses the strong masculine nominative form, which is gamall.
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