Breakdown of Það er mikill metingur hér og krakkarnir gorta mikið.
vera
to be
hér
here
og
and
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
mikið
a lot
krakkinn
the kid
mikill
great, much (adjective: snjórinn er mikill)
gorta
to brag
metingurinn
the rivalry
Questions & Answers about Það er mikill metingur hér og krakkarnir gorta mikið.
Why do we use mikill in the first half but mikið in the second half?
In the first half, mikill is an adjective modifying the masculine noun metingur (rivalry), so it takes the masculine nominative singular form. In the second half, mikið acts as an adverb modifying the verb gorta (to brag), meaning 'a lot,' so it takes the fixed neuter singular form used for adverbs.
How would I apply this lesson's prefix to say 'by far the greatest rivalry' and 'brag by far the most'?
You would change mikill metingur to the superlative langmesti metingurinn (notice the definite article is added for the superlative noun phrase) and the adverb mikið to the superlative adverb langmest. The sentence would become: Það er langmesti metingurinn hér og krakkarnir gorta langmest.
What is the root of the noun metingur?
It is derived from the verb meta, which means to evaluate, judge, or value. In Icelandic, metingur captures the specific behavior of constantly measuring or comparing oneself against others, resulting in rivalry or competitive boasting.
Why does the sentence start with Það er instead of just saying Metingur er hér?
Icelandic strongly prefers using það as a dummy subject to introduce new, indefinite information, exactly like 'There is' in English. Saying Metingur er hér sounds highly unnatural, much like saying 'Rivalry is here' instead of 'There is a lot of rivalry here.'
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