Breakdown of Er þetta handrit til í skjalasafninu?
þetta
this
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
handritið
the script
vera til
to exist / be available
skjalasafnið
the archive
Questions & Answers about Er þetta handrit til í skjalasafninu?
Why is til separated from er in this sentence?
In Icelandic yes/no questions, the main verb (er) comes first, followed immediately by the subject (þetta handrit). The particle til has to wait until after the subject. If this were a statement, it would be Þetta handrit er til í skjalasafninu.
Does vera til always mean "to be available"?
It means both "to be available" and "to exist", depending on the context. When asking about a physical item in a library or shop, "available" or "in stock" makes the most sense. If you asked Eru draugar til?, it would mean "Do ghosts exist?".
Why do we use þetta instead of þessi for "this"?
The word for manuscript, handrit, is a neuter noun. Þetta is the neuter nominative form of the word "this". If the noun were masculine or feminine, you would use þessi.
Why does the word for archive (skjalasafn) end in -inu here?
The preposition í (in) takes the dative case when describing a fixed location, rather than movement into a place. Skjalasafn is a neuter noun, and its dative singular definite ending (meaning "the archive") is -inu.
How is the compound word skjalasafn formed?
It is made of skjal (document) and safn (collection, museum, or archive). Literally, it translates to "document collection".
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