Breakdown of Ertu ekki ólétt? Jú, og ógleðin er mjög slæm.
vera
to be
og
and
þú
you
ekki
not
mjög
very
slæmur
bad
jú
yes (contradicting a negative question)
óléttur
pregnant
ógleðin
the nausea
Questions & Answers about Ertu ekki ólétt? Jú, og ógleðin er mjög slæm.
Why does the answer use Jú instead of Já for Yes?
Because the question is phrased negatively (Ertu ekki... or Are you not...). In Icelandic, when you contradict a negative statement or question to say that yes, it is actually true, you must use jú. You only use já to agree with positive questions.
What is the literal translation of the word ólétt?
How does the word ógleðin (the nausea) break down grammatically?
It is made up of the prefix ó- (un/not) and the feminine noun gleði (joy). The -n at the end is the attached definite article, making it the nausea. The literal translation of nausea in Icelandic is therefore un-joy.
Why is the adjective for bad spelled slæm here instead of slæmur?
Adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe. Because ógleðin (the nausea) is a feminine noun, the adjective takes the feminine nominative singular form, which is slæm.
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