Breakdown of Lyktin af þessu ilmvatni er meira róandi.
vera
to be
af
off
þessi
this (m/f)
meira
more
ilmvatnið
the perfume
lyktin
the smell
róandi
soothing
Questions & Answers about Lyktin af þessu ilmvatni er meira róandi.
Why do we use meira here instead of adding a comparative ending to róandi?
In Icelandic, present participles ending in -andi (like róandi, meaning "soothing" or "calming") cannot take standard comparative endings like -ari. Instead, you must form the comparison analytically using the adverb meira (more) and mest (most).
If lyktin is a feminine noun, why doesn't róandi have a feminine ending?
Words ending in -andi that act as adjectives are present participles, and they are indeclinable. This means róandi does not change to match the gender, case, or number of the noun it describes.
Why is þessu ilmvatni in the dative case?
The preposition af requires the dative case. Because ilmvatn (perfume) is a neuter noun, its dative singular form is ilmvatni. The demonstrative pronoun meaning "this" must match it, becoming the neuter dative þessu.
The sentence uses lyktin for "the smell", but the word for perfume is ilmvatn. What is the difference between lykt and ilmur?
Lykt is a neutral, everyday word for "smell" and can refer to both good and bad odors. Ilmur specifically means a "pleasant scent" or "fragrance," which is why perfume is literally "scent water" (ilmvatn). Saying lyktin af þessu ilmvatni is a very natural way to say "the smell of this perfume."
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