Question 1

Why is nefnilega translated as "you see" here instead of "namely"?

Accepted Answer

While nefnilega technically translates to "namely," Icelanders use it constantly in everyday speech to mean "you see," "because," or "the thing is." It is used as a filler word to introduce an explanation or justify a previous statement, which in this context probably explains why the grand piano is so hard to transport.

Question 2

How do you break down the long adjective fyrirferðarmikill?

Accepted Answer

It is a compound of the feminine noun fyrirferð (meaning bulk, volume, or the space something takes up) and the adjective mikill (much or great). So it literally means "of great bulk." You will see the -mikill suffix used in many other Icelandic adjectives to mean that something has a lot of a certain quality.

Question 3

Wait, shouldn't "this grand piano" be þessi flygillinn with the definite article attached to the noun?

Accepted Answer

No, unlike some other Scandinavian languages, Icelandic uses the indefinite form of the noun after the demonstrative pronoun þessi (this). So it is simply þessi flygill, and adding the definite article here would be grammatically incorrect.

Question 4

If we were talking about a standard piano (þetta píanó) instead of a grand piano (þessi flygill), how would the sentence change?

Accepted Answer

Because the noun píanó is neuter, the demonstrative pronoun and the adjective would both need to change to match its gender. The sentence would become Þetta píanó er nefnilega mjög fyrirferðarmikið, changing the ending of the adjective from the masculine -mikill to the neuter -mikið.

Þessi flygill er nefnilega mjög fyrirferðarmikill.

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