Breakdown of Endurfundurinn var helmingi skemmtilegri en partýið.
vera
to be
skemmtilegur
fun
en
than
partýið
the party (colloquial)
helmingi
by half
endurfundurinn
the reunion (m)
Questions & Answers about Endurfundurinn var helmingi skemmtilegri en partýið.
How does the prefix endur- work in the word endurfundurinn?
If helmingur means "a half", why does helmingi skemmtilegri mean "twice as fun"?
This is a common Icelandic idiom. When you use helmingi with a comparative adjective, you are literally saying it is "more by a half" (meaning a whole extra portion, or 100% more). Thus, helmingi skemmtilegri means twice as fun, and helmingi stærri means twice as big.
Why is the word helmingi in the dative case?
This is the "dative of difference." When comparing things, Icelandic uses the dative case to express by how much they differ. You have likely seen this in phrases like miklu betri (better by much) or tveimur árum eldri (older by two years).
Why does the sentence use en instead of og or sem to mean "as" here?
In English, we say "twice as fun as." But the Icelandic structure relies on a comparative adjective (skemmtilegri, meaning more fun). Because it is a comparative, it must be followed by en (than). The Icelandic literally translates to "The reunion was funner by half than the party."
Learn Endurfundurinn var helmingi skemmtilegri en partýið 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