Breakdown of Ástin okkar er skilyrðislaus, hvort sem við erum fátæk eða rík.
vera
to be
við
we
eða
or
sem
who / which / that
ríkur
rich
fátækur
poor
okkar
our
hvort
whether
ástin
the love
skilyrðislaus
unconditional
Questions & Answers about Ástin okkar er skilyrðislaus, hvort sem við erum fátæk eða rík.
How does hvort sem ... eða function in this sentence compared to just using hvort?
In this sentence, hvort sem ... eða creates a concessive clause, meaning "no matter if" or "regardless of whether" we are poor or rich. If you just used hvort (whether), it would sound like an indirect question, such as "I don't know whether we are poor or rich," which doesn't fit the meaning here.
Why do the adjectives fátæk and rík take these specific forms instead of typical plural endings like -kir or -kar?
They are in the neuter plural! The pronoun við (we) refers to a couple. In Icelandic, when a pronoun refers to a mixed-gender group (a man and a woman, or people in general), any adjectives describing them must take the neuter plural form.
What are the building blocks of the word skilyrðislaus?
It is made of the noun skilyrði (condition/requirement) and the suffix -laus (-less / without), joined by a genitive -s (literally "condition's-less"). Here, it is in the feminine singular nominative form to agree with the feminine noun ástin.
Why does the sentence use the definite ástin (the love) right before the possessive okkar (our)?
This is the most common and natural way to show possession in Icelandic. Unlike English, where we just say "our love," Icelandic usually attaches the definite article to the noun first, followed by the possessive word: ást-in okkar (literally "the love ours").
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