Breakdown of Neysluvenjurnar eru tvisvar sinnum dýrari núna.
vera
to be
núna
now
dýr
expensive
tvisvar
twice
neysluvenjan
the consumer habit
sinnið
the time (occasion)
Questions & Answers about Neysluvenjurnar eru tvisvar sinnum dýrari núna.
Why does the sentence use the comparative dýrari (more expensive) instead of the base form dýrar (expensive) to mean "twice as expensive"?
In Icelandic, multiplicative comparisons are built using the comparative form of the adjective. While English says "twice as expensive", Icelandic literally says "two times more expensive" (tvisvar sinnum dýrari). This is a common trap for English speakers, so remember to always bump the adjective up to its comparative form for these constructions!
Could I use helmingi instead of tvisvar sinnum in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! You could say neysluvenjurnar eru helmingi dýrari. While tvisvar sinnum dýrari literally means "two times more expensive", helmingi dýrari uses the dative form of helmingur (a half) to mean "by a half more expensive". Despite the different literal translations, both are very common, standard ways to say "twice as expensive" in Icelandic.
How is the compound word neysluvenjurnar put together?
It is made from the nouns neysla (consumption) and venja (habit). When joining them, the first noun takes its genitive (possessive) singular form, neyslu, to link it to the plural noun venjur. Finally, the feminine plural definite article -nar is attached to the end, giving us "the consumption habits" or "the consumer habits".
Does the comparative adjective dýrari need to change its ending to match the feminine plural noun neysluvenjurnar?
Fortunately, comparative adjectives are wonderfully simple to decline! For almost all adjectives, the comparative form ends in -ari for all genders in the plural, as well as for masculine and feminine in the singular. So dýrari works perfectly here as a feminine plural without needing any extra changes.
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