Breakdown of Sé áfengi ekki heimilað, er bannað að drekka hérna.
vera
to be
ekki
not
að
to (infinitive marker)
drekka
to drink
hérna
here (colloquial, pointing)
bannaður
forbidden
heimilaður
permitted
áfengið
the alcohol
Questions & Answers about Sé áfengi ekki heimilað, er bannað að drekka hérna.
Why does the sentence start with the verb Sé instead of using Ef (if)?
This is the V1 conditional word order. By moving the verb to the very front of the clause (position 1), you can completely drop the word ef while keeping the exact same 'if' meaning.
Why is the verb Sé used here instead of the normal present tense Er?
When you drop ef to make a V1 conditional clause, the verb in that clause must be in the subjunctive mood. Sé is the present subjunctive form of vera (to be). If you used ef, you could just use the indicative: Ef áfengi er ekki heimilað.
Why does the second clause start with the verb er (...er bannað...)?
The translation says 'it is forbidden', but why is there no Icelandic word for 'it'?
In a standard standalone sentence, you might use the dummy subject það (it), like Það er bannað að drekka hérna. However, when það is pushed out of the first position by another phrase (like our conditional clause), it is almost always dropped completely.
Why do the adjectives heimilað (permitted) and bannað (forbidden) take the neuter -ð ending?
Heimilað is neuter because it must agree with the neuter noun áfengi. Bannað is neuter because it describes a general action (að drekka hérna), and actions are always treated as grammatically neuter in Icelandic.
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