Breakdown of Þetta handverk læra fáir glerblásarar vel.
vel
well
læra
to study
þessi
this (m/f)
fár
few
handverkið
the craft
glerblásarinn
the glassblower
Questions & Answers about Þetta handverk læra fáir glerblásarar vel.
Why does the subject fáir glerblásarar come after the verb læra in this sentence?
The direct object Þetta handverk has been moved to the front for emphasis, a process called topicalization. Because Icelandic strictly enforces the V2 rule (the main verb must be the second element in a main clause), the subject and verb must swap places so the verb stays in position two.
How can we tell that Þetta handverk is the object and not the subject, since it is at the start of the sentence?
We know this from the grammar of the rest of the sentence. The verb læra is plural, which perfectly matches the plural noun glerblásarar (glassblowers). Since handverk is singular, it cannot be the subject. Even though Þetta handverk looks like a nominative subject, it is actually in the accusative case because neuter nouns share the same form in both nominative and accusative.
Why does the word for 'few' take the form fáir here?
Fáir is the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective fár. It must agree with the subject it modifies, glerblásarar, which is a masculine plural noun in the nominative case.
How would this sentence look if we didn't front the object for emphasis?
Using the standard Subject-Verb-Object word order, the sentence would simply be: Fáir glerblásarar læra þetta handverk vel. The overall meaning remains the same, but the special focus on 'this craft' is lost.
Learn Þetta handverk læra fáir glerblásarar vel 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