Breakdown of Langi textinn var torskilinn þó.
vera
to be
langur
long
textinn
the text
þó
though, nevertheless
torskilinn
hard to understand
Questions & Answers about Langi textinn var torskilinn þó.
How is torskilinn formed, and what does the prefix do?
It is built from the prefix tor- (meaning 'with difficulty' or 'hard to') attached to skilinn, which is the past participle of the verb skilja (to understand). Together, they create an adjective meaning 'difficult to understand'.
Why does the sentence use torskilinn instead of the base neuter form torskilið?
Because it functions as an adjective and must agree with the noun it describes. It is describing textinn (the text), which is a masculine, singular, nominative noun. Therefore, the participle takes the masculine nominative singular form torskilinn rather than the neuter form torskilið.
Why is the adjective Langi used here instead of Langur?
This is a quick reminder of the weak adjective declension. Because the noun textinn has the definite article attached (the -inn suffix), the adjective preceding it must be in its weak form. For a masculine nominative noun, the weak form of langur is langi.
Is it natural to place þó at the very end of the sentence?
Yes, putting þó (though/however) at the end of a clause is extremely common in everyday Icelandic. It functions almost exactly like the English 'though' at the end of a sentence. You could also say Langi textinn var þó torskilinn, which sounds just slightly more formal.
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