Breakdown of Kaffivélin er jafn dýr og brauðristin.
vera
to be
og
and
dýr
expensive
jafn
as, equally (jafn ... og)
kaffivélin
the coffee machine
brauðristin
the toaster
Questions & Answers about Kaffivélin er jafn dýr og brauðristin.
Does the adjective in a 'jafn ... og' comparison need to agree with the subject?
Yes! Even though it is part of a comparison phrase, the adjective still describes the subject. Since kaffivélin is a feminine noun, the adjective takes the feminine nominative form dýr rather than the masculine dýrur or neuter dýrt.
Why do we use 'og' here when it usually translates to 'and'?
While og is the standard word for 'and', it is also used as a conjunction in comparisons to mean 'as'. You can think of the literal translation of this sentence as 'The coffee machine is equally expensive and the toaster'.
Does the word 'jafn' change its ending to match the noun?
Not in this structure. Here, jafn acts as an invariable adverb meaning 'equally' that modifies the adjective dýr. It stays exactly as jafn regardless of the subject's gender or number.
Both 'kaffivélin' and 'brauðristin' end in '-in'. Are they both feminine nouns?
Exactly. The suffix -in is the definite article meaning 'the' for feminine nouns in the nominative case. The core words here are vél (machine) and rist (grill or toaster), which are both feminine.
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