Breakdown of Í fyrsta lagi er þetta of dýrt.
Questions & Answers about Í fyrsta lagi er þetta of dýrt.
What does the word lagi literally mean in the phrase í fyrsta lagi?
Lagi is the dative form of the neuter noun lag, which has many meanings including 'layer', 'tune', or 'shape'. The fixed phrase í fyrsta lagi translates literally as 'in the first layer', but it is the standard Icelandic way to say 'firstly' or 'in the first place'. How do I say 'secondly' and 'thirdly' using this same pattern?
You just change the ordinal number to its dative neuter form. 'Secondly' becomes í öðru lagi, and 'thirdly' is í þriðja lagi. This is a highly useful structure for listing arguments or making points. Why is the verb er placed before the subject þetta?
This happens because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire introductory phrase Í fyrsta lagi takes up the first slot in the sentence. To keep the verb in the second slot, er must come immediately after it, which pushes the subject þetta into the third position. Why do we use the neuter forms þetta and dýrt here?
When you are referring to a general situation, an abstract idea, or an unspecified thing (like 'this whole situation'), Icelandic defaults to the neuter pronoun þetta. Because the subject is neuter, the adjective dýr (expensive) must also take the neuter ending to match, becoming dýrt. Learn Í fyrsta lagi er þetta of dýrt and more in Icelandic
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