Breakdown of Sé fasteignaverðið lágt, er lóðin líklega afvikin.
vera
to be
líklega
probably
lágur
low
fasteignaverðið
the property price
lóðin
the plot
afvikinn
secluded
Questions & Answers about Sé fasteignaverðið lágt, er lóðin líklega afvikin.
Why does the sentence start with Sé instead of a word for 'if'?
In Icelandic, you can drop the word ef (if) and start the clause directly with the verb to create a conditional meaning. When doing this, the verb is usually in the subjunctive mood. Sé is the present subjunctive form of vera (to be) for the third person singular, so Sé fasteignaverðið lágt means 'If the property price is low'.
Why is the verb er placed right after the comma?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The entire conditional clause (Sé fasteignaverðið lágt) occupies the first position of the main sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position, er must come immediately after the comma, before the subject lóðin.
Why does lágt end in -t while afvikin ends in -in?
Adjectives must agree in gender with the nouns they describe. Fasteignaverðið (the property price) is a neuter noun, so lágt takes the neuter singular ending. Lóðin (the plot) is a feminine noun, so afvikin takes the feminine singular ending.
Is afvikin related to the verb víkja?
Yes, it is the past participle of víkja af (to step aside, deviate) acting as an adjective. In this context, it translates to 'secluded' or 'remote,' describing a plot of land that is tucked away from the main areas.
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