Strákurinn er ekki vinalaus, samt er hann oft leiður.
The boy is not friendless, yet he is often sad.
Breakdown of Strákurinn er ekki vinalaus, samt er hann oft leiður.
vera
to be
hann
he
strákurinn
the boy
ekki
not
oft
often
leiður
sad
samt
still, anyway, even so
vinalaus
friendless
Questions & Answers about Strákurinn er ekki vinalaus, samt er hann oft leiður.
How exactly is the word vinalaus put together?
Does the suffix -laus change endings to match the subject?
Yes, words ending in -laus are adjectives and must decline to agree with the noun they describe. Here, it is in the masculine nominative singular to agree with Strákurinn. The masculine and feminine nominative singular forms are both simply -laus, while the neuter form is -laust.
Why is the verb before the subject in the second clause (samt er hann)?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The word samt (yet / however) sits at the start of the second clause. Because it occupies the first position, the verb (er) must immediately follow it in the second position, which pushes the subject (hann) to the third position.
I learned that leiður means 'bored'. Why is it translated as 'sad' here?
The adjective leiður is highly context-dependent and can mean 'sad', 'upset', or 'bored'. In a sentence discussing loneliness or being friendless, 'sad' is the most natural fit. When Icelanders want to unambiguously say they are bored, they usually use the verb að leiðast instead.
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