Breakdown of Veðrið er svo kalt að ég er gjörsamlega dofinn.
vera
to be
ég
I
veðrið
the weather
kaldur
cold
að
that (conjunction)
svo
so (to such a degree)
gjörsamlega
completely
dofinn
numb
Questions & Answers about Veðrið er svo kalt að ég er gjörsamlega dofinn.
How does the svo ... að structure connect the two parts of this sentence?
The word svo (so) intensifies the adjective kalt (cold), and að (that) acts as a bridge to introduce the consequence. The entire second clause (ég er gjörsamlega dofinn) is the direct result of the weather being so cold.
Why do the adjectives kalt and dofinn have different gender endings if they both follow the verb er?
They describe different subjects in their respective clauses! kalt describes Veðrið, which is a neuter noun, so it takes the neuter form. dofinn describes ég (I). Because it ends in -inn, we know the speaker identifies as male. A female speaker would say ég er gjörsamlega dofin.
How is the long adverb gjörsamlega put together?
You can break it down into the root gjör- (an older form related to gera, meaning to do or make), the suffix -samur (meaning having a certain quality), and -lega (the standard adverb ending, just like "-ly" in English). Put together, it means "completely" or "absolutely."
Why does the adverb gjörsamlega come after the verb er in the second clause?
In Icelandic, adverbs that intensify or modify an adjective go right before the adjective itself. Since this is a simple clause, that naturally places gjörsamlega directly after the verb er.
Learn Veðrið er svo kalt að ég er gjörsamlega dofinn 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