Breakdown of Hlutdeild starfsmannanna er ósanngjörn.
vera
to be
starfsmaðurinn
the employee
hlutdeildin
the share
ósanngjarn
unfair
Questions & Answers about Hlutdeild starfsmannanna er ósanngjörn.
How is the ending of starfsmannanna formed?
It is the genitive (possessive) plural definite form of starfsmaður (employee). The genitive plural of the noun itself is starfsmanna (of employees). To make it definite ("of the employees"), we add the definite article suffix for the genitive plural, which is -nna, giving us the long word starfsmannanna.
Why is it ósanngjörn instead of the dictionary form ósanngjarn?
The adjective has to agree with the feminine noun hlutdeild, which is in the nominative singular here. For adjectives with an a in the root, the feminine nominative singular triggers a vowel shift (u-mutation) that changes the a to an ö. This is the exact same pattern you see when kaldur (cold) becomes köld.
What is the difference between hlutdeild and just hluti?
While hluti just means "a part" or "a portion", hlutdeild specifically means a "share", "stake", or "quota" in something—usually implying participation, ownership, or responsibility. It literally translates to "part-division".
How does the adjective ósanngjörn break down literally?
Without the negative prefix ó-, the word is sanngjarn (fair/reasonable). This is built from sannur (true) and the suffix -gjarn, which indicates being inclined or eager to do something. So being sanngjarn originally meant being "inclined toward the truth", which evolved into meaning "fair". Adding ó- makes it "unfair".
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