Log inSign up

Það er slæmt að vera of dómgjarn.

Það er slæmt að vera of dómgjarn.
It is bad to be too judgmental.
From Lesson 369:Adjectives of tendency (-gjarn)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Það er slæmt að vera of dómgjarn.

How does the suffix -gjarn build the meaning of dómgjarn?
The suffix -gjarn attaches to noun or verb roots to describe someone who is prone to doing something or eager for it. Here, it is added to the root of the noun dómur (a judgment or sentence) to mean "prone to judging," which translates perfectly to "judgmental."
Why do we use the masculine form dómgjarn here when there is no specific person being talked about?
In Icelandic, when making general statements about people or human behavior without referring to a specific individual, the default grammatical gender used is masculine singular.
Why is slæmt in the neuter form if dómgjarn is masculine?
The adjective slæmur (bad) is describing the dummy pronoun Það (it), which is always neuter, hence the form slæmt. On the other hand, dómgjarn describes the unstated person who is being judgmental, so it takes the default masculine form for a general person.
How does the ending of dómgjarn change if you are applying this sentence specifically to a woman?
If you were telling a specific female friend that she is being too judgmental, you must decline the adjective to the feminine nominative singular. Because of the U-shift, the -a- in -gjarn becomes an -ö-, making the word dómgjörn.

Learn Það er slæmt að vera of dómgjarn 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
Start learning Icelandic →