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Staðan var alveg vonlaus.

Staðan var alveg vonlaus.
The situation was completely hopeless.
From Lesson 296:Privative adjectives (-laus)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Staðan var alveg vonlaus.

How is the adjective vonlaus formed in this sentence?
It is formed by combining the noun von (hope) with the suffix -laus (without or -less). This is a very productive suffix in Icelandic, meaning you can attach it to many nouns to create new adjectives, just like the suffix -less in English.
Why doesn't vonlaus have a special ending here, like -laust?
Adjectives in Icelandic must agree with the noun they describe. The subject here is staðan (the situation), which is feminine, singular, and in the nominative case. For adjectives ending in -laus, the feminine singular nominative form is simply -laus. The masculine is also -laus, while the neuter form takes a t-ending to become -laust.
What kind of noun is staðan, and what else can it mean besides the situation?
Staðan is the definite form of the feminine noun staða, meaning the ending -n acts as the word the. Besides a situation, staða frequently translates to a position (such as a job role or a physical stance) or a status.
Is alveg the standard word to use for completely here?
Yes, alveg is a very common and versatile adverb used as an intensifier. It means completely, totally, or absolutely. It pairs perfectly with strong, definitive adjectives like vonlaus to emphasize that there is zero hope left.

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