Learn Icelandic: Blóðprufan sýndi að allt er í lagi. - The blood test showed that everything is okay.

Blóðprufan sýndi að allt er í lagi.

The blood test showed that everything is okay.

Breakdown of Blóðprufan sýndi að allt er í lagi.

Questions & Answers about Blóðprufan sýndi að allt er í lagi.

Why does the sentence use present tense er (is) after the past tense sýndi (showed), instead of matching the past tense?

In English, we usually shift tenses in reported speech, saying showed that everything WAS okay. Icelandic often keeps the tense of the original situation. Since the test result implies Everything IS okay, Icelandic naturally uses the present tense er here.

How is the definite article attached in the word blóðprufan?

The compound noun ends with prufa (test), which is a weak feminine noun. To say THE test, you add the feminine definite article -in. The final -a of the noun and the -i of the article merge to form -an, making it blóðprufan.

Why do we use the neuter form allt for everything?

The word allur means all or whole. When you use it independently to mean everything as a general abstract concept, rather than describing a specific masculine or feminine noun, you must use the neuter singular form allt.

What is the literal meaning of í lagi, and why does the word end in -i?

The fixed phrase í lagi translates to okay or fine, but literally means in order. It comes from the neuter noun lag (order, layer, or shape). The preposition í triggers the dative case here, which adds the -i ending to change lag to lagi.