Breakdown of Skórnir eru handónýtir og slitnir hvort eð er.
vera
to be
og
and
skórinn
the shoe
handónýtur
completely ruined
hvort eð er
anyway
slitinn
worn out
Questions & Answers about Skórnir eru handónýtir og slitnir hvort eð er.
What is the literal breakdown of the phrase hvort eð er?
Literally, hvort means whether or which of the two, eð is an archaic filler word, and er is the verb is. Put together, it means whichever it is. Today, it operates as a fixed invariable phrase meaning anyway or in any case.
Does hvort eð er always have to go at the end of the sentence like it does here?
Yes, almost always. As a discourse phrase meaning anyway, hvort eð er naturally sits at the very end of the clause to wrap up the thought. You generally cannot wedge it in the middle of the sentence between the verb and the adjectives.
I recognize ónýtir as ruined, but what does the hand- prefix add to the word?
The prefix hand- acts as a strong intensifier in certain adjectives, meaning completely or utterly. So handónýtur means completely ruined. Another very common example you might encounter at this level is handviss, meaning completely sure.
Why do both handónýtir and slitnir end in -ir?
Both words describe skórnir (the shoes), which is a masculine plural noun. To agree with it in the nominative case, both the adjective handónýtur and the past participle slitinn (from the verb slíta) take the masculine plural ending -ir.
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