Learn Icelandic: Það er mikil vanhirða í borginni. - There is a lot of poor maintenance in the city.

Það er mikil vanhirða í borginni.

There is a lot of poor maintenance in the city.

Breakdown of Það er mikil vanhirða í borginni.

vera

to be

það

it / there (existential) / the one (n)

in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)

borgin

the city (f)

Questions & Answers about Það er mikil vanhirða í borginni.

How does the prefix van- work in the word vanhirða?

The prefix van- means "under-", "lacking", or "poorly done." The root word is the feminine noun hirða, which means "care," "tending," or "maintenance." By adding van-, the word vanhirða becomes "poor maintenance" or "neglect" — literally, a lack of adequate care.

How does van- differ from the negating prefix ó- in a word like this?

The prefix ó- usually means a complete lack or the direct opposite of something (like "un-"), whereas van- implies that something exists but is insufficient or poorly executed (like "under-"). While vanhirða means "neglect" or "under-maintenance," the word óhirða also exists, but it usually translates more directly to "untidiness" or "slovenliness."

Why do we use mikil here instead of mikið to say "a lot of"?

While mikið is often used as an adverb meaning "a lot," here it is acting as an adjective modifying the noun vanhirða. Because vanhirða is a feminine noun in the nominative case, the adjective must agree with it, taking the feminine singular nominative form mikil.

Why is the word for city, borginni, in the dative case?