Breakdown of Kærleikurinn er tryggur, hvort sem það er sumar eða vetur.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
eða
or
sem
who / which / that
sumarið
the summer
veturinn
the winter
hvort
whether
kærleikurinn
the love (charity, universal)
tryggur
loyal
Questions & Answers about Kærleikurinn er tryggur, hvort sem það er sumar eða vetur.
Does the phrase hvort sem ... eða change the word order in the clause that follows it?
Why does the sentence use kærleikurinn (the love) instead of just kærleikur?
In Icelandic, abstract nouns discussed in a broad, universal sense usually take the definite suffix. While English generalizes by dropping the article ('Love is loyal'), Icelandic generalizes by adding it, giving us kærleikurinn.
Why does the adjective tryggur end in -ur here?
As a brief refresher on agreement: the adjective must match the subject it describes. Kærleikur is a masculine noun in the nominative case, so the adjective takes the masculine nominative singular ending -ur.
Could I use ást instead of kærleikur here?
You could, but it changes the nuance. Ást usually refers specifically to romantic love. Kærleikur refers to a broader, unconditional kind of affection, such as charity, brotherly love, or spiritual love.
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