Breakdown of Grannavarslan er mikilvæg þar sem ýmislegt gerist hérna.
vera
to be
mikilvægur
important
hérna
here (colloquial, pointing)
þar sem
since
ýmislegt
various things
gerast
to happen
grannavarslan
the neighborhood watch
Questions & Answers about Grannavarslan er mikilvæg þar sem ýmislegt gerist hérna.
The current lesson is about the active pro-verb gera það (to do so). Why does this sentence use gerist instead of a form of gera?
Gerist is the middle voice (-st form) of gera (to do/make). While the active gera means "to do", the middle voice gerast changes the meaning to "to happen" or "to occur". You can only use the lesson's target phrase gera það to replace an active verb phrase. Since "various things" are happening rather than actively doing something, the middle voice is required here.
How is the compound noun Grannavarslan put together?
It combines granni (neighbor) and varsla (watch or custody). In Icelandic compound words, the first noun often takes the genitive case, so granna is the genitive plural ("of the neighbors"). The -n at the very end is the attached feminine definite article, giving us "the neighborhood watch".
Doesn't þar sem literally translate to "there where"? Why is it translated as "since"?
While its literal, spatial meaning is indeed "there where", þar sem is also the standard conjunction used to mean "since" or "because" when introducing a cause. It functions somewhat like "since" in English, which originally related to time but is now commonly used for cause.
Why do we use the form ýmislegt here rather than just ýmis?
Ýmis is an adjective meaning "various". When you want to say "various things" as an independent pronoun without attaching it to a specific noun, you use the neuter singular form ýmislegt. Because it acts as a singular collective concept here, the verb gerist is also conjugated in the singular.
Is there a difference between using hérna instead of just hér at the end of the sentence?
Both mean "here", but hérna is a bit more conversational and often implies a more specific, immediate area (like "right here"). In everyday spoken Icelandic, you will hear hérna and þarna used much more frequently than the slightly more formal hér and þar.
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