Breakdown of Snertiskjárinn er að vísu nýr en hann er ekki stöðugur.
vera
to be
hann
he
en
but
nýr
new
ekki
not
að vísu
admittedly
snertiskjárinn
the touchscreen
stöðugur
stable
Questions & Answers about Snertiskjárinn er að vísu nýr en hann er ekki stöðugur.
How does að vísu function here, and how is it different from reyndar?
Að vísu translates to "admittedly" or "to be sure". It is used to concede a point before introducing a counterpoint (which happens here with en, meaning "but"). While reyndar means "actually" and often corrects or adds surprising information, að vísu acknowledges a fact that contrasts with the main point you are making.
Could I put að vísu at the beginning of the sentence?
Yes, you can use it at the beginning for emphasis, but you must remember the V2 (verb-second) rule. If you start with the discourse marker, the verb must immediately follow it: Að vísu er snertiskjárinn nýr... (Admittedly, the touchscreen is new...).
How is the compound word snertiskjárinn formed?
It is made from the verb stem of snerta (to touch) and the noun skjár (screen/display), followed by the attached masculine definite article -inn. So it literally translates to "the touch screen".
Why does the sentence use hann for the touchscreen instead of það (it)?
In Icelandic, grammatical gender strictly dictates the pronoun used to refer back to an object. Because skjár is a masculine noun, you must use the masculine pronoun hann to say "it". For the same reason, the adjectives nýr and stöðugur take masculine nominative endings to agree with it.
Learn Snertiskjárinn er að vísu nýr en hann er ekki stöðugur 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