Breakdown of Þetta er ekki tískuslys, heldur dýrgripur.
þetta
this
vera
to be
ekki
not
heldur
rather, but rather
tískuslysið
the fashion disaster (n)
dýrgripurinn
the treasure (m)
Questions & Answers about Þetta er ekki tískuslys, heldur dýrgripur.
Why do we use heldur here instead of en for "but"?
When correcting a negative statement—meaning "not X, but rather Y"—Icelandic uses the paired construction ekki ... heldur .... If you used en, it would just mean "but" in an added contrasting sense, missing the "but instead" correction.
How does a word like tískuslys relate to the -ó slang adjectives in this lesson?
Tískuslys (literally "fashion accident") is a standard compound noun, but to describe a fashion disaster using the colloquial slang from this lesson, you would use an -ó adjective like púkó (tacky/unfashionable). Because -ó adjectives never change endings, you would simply say Þetta er púkó.
Tískuslys is neuter, but dýrgripur is masculine. Why doesn't the pronoun Þetta change to match?
Doesn't the dýr- part of dýrgripur mean "animal"?
While dýr is the noun for "animal", it is also an adjective meaning "expensive" or "precious" (historically related to the English word "dear"). Gripur means "item" or "artifact". Together, they form dýrgripur, meaning a precious item or treasure.
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