Breakdown of Þú ert óboðinn og óvelkominn gestur.
vera
to be
og
and
þú
you
gesturinn
the guest (m)
óvelkominn
unwelcome
óboðinn
uninvited
Questions & Answers about Þú ert óboðinn og óvelkominn gestur.
Where does the word boðinn in óboðinn come from?
It is the past participle of the strong verb bjóða, which means to invite or offer. Just like in English, you can take a participle like boðinn (invited) and add the negative prefix ó- to make óboðinn (uninvited).
Is óvelkominn built exactly like the English word "unwelcome"?
Yes! It is made of the prefix ó- (un-), the adverb vel (well), and the past participle kominn (come). The prefix ó- is highly productive in Icelandic and can be attached to almost any adjective or participle to create its exact opposite.
Why do both óboðinn and óvelkominn end in -inn?
They are modifying the noun gestur (guest), which is a masculine word in the nominative case. Because they act as adjectives here, they must agree with gestur in gender, number, and case, taking the strong masculine singular nominative ending -inn.
If the person being spoken to (þú) were a woman, would these adjectives change to their feminine forms?
No, they would stay exactly the same. In this sentence, the adjectives belong directly to the noun phrase óboðinn og óvelkominn gestur. Since the word gestur is always grammatically masculine regardless of the person's actual gender, the adjectives must remain masculine to match it.
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