Breakdown of Ef teningakastið er slæmt, þá stendur persónan við vegginn.
vera
to be
veggurinn
the wall
slæmur
bad
standa
to stand
ef
if
við
at / by (next to)
þá
then
persónan
the character
teningakastið
the dice roll
Questions & Answers about Ef teningakastið er slæmt, þá stendur persónan við vegginn.
How does the word þá affect the word order in the second half of the sentence?
In this sentence, þá (then) acts as a resumptive adverb, clearly marking the start of the main clause after the ef (if) condition. Because þá occupies the first position of this new main clause, the V2 (verb-second) rule applies. This forces the main verb stendur to come immediately after it, pushing the subject persónan into the third slot.
Is þá strictly necessary here, or could I drop it?
You can drop it! If you omit þá, the entire ef clause acts as the first element of the sentence. The V2 rule still applies, meaning the main verb comes right after the comma: Ef teningakastið er slæmt, stendur persónan við vegginn. However, using þá is incredibly common and natural in Icelandic to help anchor the main clause.
The word teningur (die/dice) is masculine. Why is the adjective slæmt in the neuter form?
In compound nouns like teningakastið (the dice roll), the grammatical gender is always determined by the last root word. Here, the final part is kastið (the throw), which comes from the neuter noun kast. Therefore, the adjective must be the neuter nominative slæmt to agree with the head noun.
The character is standing still. Why does the preposition við take the accusative vegginn instead of the dative?
It is a common trap! While prepositions like í and á use the dative case for stationary positions and the accusative for movement, við plays by different rules. When við means "by," "next to," or "against" a physical object, it almost always takes the accusative case, even if there is absolutely no motion involved.
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