Breakdown of Þrátt fyrir að fátæktin var mikil skrifaði hún fræga ævisögu.
vera
to be
hún
she
skrifa
to write
mikill
great, much (adjective: snjórinn er mikill)
Questions & Answers about Þrátt fyrir að fátæktin var mikil skrifaði hún fræga ævisögu.
Why is the verb skrifaði before the subject hún in the main clause?
The entire concessive clause Þrátt fyrir að fátæktin var mikil acts as the first element of the sentence. Because Icelandic is a strict V2 (verb-second) language, the main verb skrifaði must come right after it, placing it in the second position and pushing the subject hún after the verb.
I thought concessive clauses expressing 'although/despite' used the subjunctive mood. Why is var in the indicative?
You are probably thinking of þótt or þó að, which do usually trigger the subjunctive mood. However, þrátt fyrir að normally takes the indicative when it describes a known, established fact, such as the severe poverty being an undeniable reality in this context.
Why does fátæktin (the poverty) take the definite article here? In English, we would usually just say 'poverty' in this context.
In Icelandic, abstract nouns like fátækt frequently take the definite article when referring to a specific, understood circumstance—in this case, the specific poverty surrounding her life. It grounds the abstract concept into a concrete reality rather than talking about poverty in a purely general sense.
Why does the phrase for 'famous biography' change to fræga ævisögu?