Breakdown of Þó að yfirvinnan sé erfið er fjarvinnan góð.
vera
to be
góður
good
erfiður
difficult
þó að
although / even though
fjarvinnan
the remote work
yfirvinnan
the overtime
Questions & Answers about Þó að yfirvinnan sé erfið er fjarvinnan góð.
Why is the verb sé used in the first half instead of er?
The conjunction Þó að (although) triggers the subjunctive mood in Icelandic. Because of this, we must use the subjunctive form sé instead of the regular indicative form er for the verb vera (to be) in the subordinate clause.
Why does the second half of the sentence start with the verb er (... er fjarvinnan góð)?
This is due to the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire subordinate clause (Þó að yfirvinnan sé erfið) acts as the first block of information in the main sentence. Therefore, the main verb er must take the second slot, coming right before its subject fjarvinnan.
How do we break down the compound words yfirvinnan and fjarvinnan?
Both are built on the feminine noun vinna (work) with the definite article -n (the) attached at the end. Yfirvinna uses the preposition yfir (over) to mean overtime, while fjarvinna uses the prefix fjar- (remote or far) to mean telecommuting or remote work.
Why do the adjectives erfið and góð look like their base dictionary forms here?
Because that is the correct strong ending for this grammar case! Both yfirvinnan and fjarvinnan are feminine singular nouns in the nominative case. For most adjectives describing a feminine singular noun in the nominative, the strong form has a zero-ending, meaning it looks identical to the stem.
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