Breakdown of Við höfum deilt byrðinni og árangurinn er jafngóður.
vera
to be
og
and
við
we
hafa
to have
deila
to share
árangurinn
the result
byrðin
the burden
jafngóður
equally good
Questions & Answers about Við höfum deilt byrðinni og árangurinn er jafngóður.
How does the prefix jafn- work in jafngóður, and does the word still decline?
The prefix jafn- is added directly to the adjective góður (good) to mean "equally good" or "just as good." Even with the prefix, the adjective part declines normally. Here, jafngóður is in the masculine singular nominative form to match the noun it describes, árangurinn (the result).
How does the comparison work with jafngóður if there is no "as" or "than" explicitly stated in the sentence?
The prefix jafn- builds the comparison right into the word. You do not always need a conjunction like og (as) to complete the comparison if the context is clear. Here, it implies the result is just as good as it would have been if they hadn't shared the burden, or just as good as expected.
Why is the noun byrðinni in the dative case here?
Does deila always mean "to share," or are there other common meanings I should watch out for?
The verb deila is a multi-purpose word. While it means "to share" or "to divide" here (and is also the word used for division in math), it is also commonly used to mean "to argue" or "to quarrel." You have to rely on context to know which meaning applies.
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