Question 1

How is the word atvinnulaus built?

Accepted Answer

It is made by taking the noun atvinna (employment or work) and adding the suffix -laus (-less or without). So it literally means 'workless'. This suffix is highly productive in Icelandic, meaning you can easily attach it to many different nouns to mean 'without that noun'.

Question 2

Does the ending of atvinnulaus change depending on who is unemployed?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Because -laus turns the word into an adjective, it must agree with the subject in gender and number. Here it is masculine singular nominative to match bróðir (brother). If the subject were a neuter noun, like barn (child), it would become atvinnulaust. For a feminine subject, the nominative form remains atvinnulaus.

Question 3

Why is it Bróðir minn instead of Minn bróðir, and why is there no definite article on the noun?

Accepted Answer

In Icelandic, possessive pronouns like minn almost always come after the noun they describe. Usually, nouns take the definite article when a possessive follows them (like bíllinn minn for 'my car'). However, close family kinship terms like bróðir, systir, and móðir are common exceptions and are used without the definite article.

Question 4

I see í fyrra translates to 'last year', but which of those words actually means 'year'?

Accepted Answer

Neither! The phrase í fyrra is a fixed idiom. The word fyrra is a form of the adjective fyrri (former or earlier). The phrase literally means 'in the former', and the word for year is simply understood by native speakers.

Bróðir minn var atvinnulaus í fyrra.

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