Breakdown of Er nýja verslunarmiðstöðin helmingi minni?
vera
to be
nýr
new
lítill
small / a little (small amount)
helmingi
by half
verslunarmiðstöðin
the shopping mall
Questions & Answers about Er nýja verslunarmiðstöðin helmingi minni?
Why does the Icelandic sentence use minni (smaller) when the English translation says "half as big"?
This is a crucial difference in how English and Icelandic handle fractions in comparisons. In English, we use "as [adjective] as" (half as big). In Icelandic, you use the multiplier plus the comparative form of the adjective, so it literally means "smaller by half." If you said helmingi stærri, it would mean "50% larger" or "half as big again"!
Why is the word for half in the dative case (helmingi instead of helmingur)?
When expressing by how much two things differ in Icelandic, you use the dative case (often called the dative of difference). Therefore, helmingi minni translates literally to "smaller by a half."
Why do we use the weak adjective form nýja instead of the strong form ný?
Because the noun it modifies, verslunarmiðstöðin, has the definite article attached to it (-in). As a B2 refresher: when an adjective comes before a definite noun, it must take the weak declension, which is nýja for a feminine singular noun in the nominative case.
How does the compound noun verslunarmiðstöðin break down?
It combines verslun (shop or commerce) and miðstöð (center). Notice that the first word is put into the genitive case (verslunar-) to link them together, literally creating "center of commerce." Finally, the -in suffix is the feminine definite article.
Learn Er nýja verslunarmiðstöðin helmingi minni and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free