Breakdown of Túlkunin er alltaf mjög persónuleg.
vera
to be
mjög
very
alltaf
always
persónulegur
personal
túlkunin
the interpretation
Questions & Answers about Túlkunin er alltaf mjög persónuleg.
The lesson is about hver og einn (each and every one), but it's not in this sentence. How could we rewrite it to say 'Each and every one's interpretation is always very personal'?
You would say: Túlkun hvers og eins er alltaf mjög persónuleg. Because it means 'each and every one's' (showing possession), the emphatic phrase takes the genitive case to become hvers og eins. Also, notice that túlkunin drops its definite article and becomes just túlkun when followed by a genitive owner.
The word túlkunin ends in -un. Is this a reliable clue for its gender?
Yes! Nouns ending in the suffix -un that are derived from verbs (here, from að túlka, meaning 'to interpret') are almost exclusively feminine. Adding the feminine singular definite article gives us túlkun + -in = túlkunin.
Why is the adjective persónuleg used instead of the dictionary form persónulegur?
Because adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. Since túlkun is a feminine noun in the nominative singular, the adjective drops the masculine -ur ending to take the strong feminine singular form persónuleg.
Does túlkun apply to both artistic interpretation and language interpretation?
Yes, it covers both. A language interpreter is a túlkur, and their work is túlkun. However, the phrase 'always very personal' (alltaf mjög persónuleg) strongly suggests this sentence is talking about someone's subjective understanding of a book, a situation, or a piece of art.
Learn Túlkunin er alltaf mjög persónuleg 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