Breakdown of Það er áhættumikið að kaupa gamlan húsbíl.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
gamall
old
kaupa
to buy
Questions & Answers about Það er áhættumikið að kaupa gamlan húsbíl.
How is the word áhættumikið formed, and what does it literally mean?
It is a compound of the noun áhætta (risk) and the adjective suffix -mikill (much or great). So, it literally translates to risk-much or full of risk, which we naturally translate to risky. This is a very common way to form adjectives in Icelandic to show an abundance of a certain quality.
Why does áhættumikið end in -ið here instead of -ill?
Even as a compound suffix, -mikill acts like a normal adjective and must agree with its subject in gender, number, and case. Because the subject of the sentence is the dummy pronoun það (it), which is neuter, the adjective takes the neuter singular nominative form, which is -mikið.
Why are gamlan and húsbíl in the accusative case?
They are the direct object of the verb að kaupa (to buy). In Icelandic, this verb governs the accusative case, so both the masculine noun húsbíll and its modifying adjective gamall (old) must change to their accusative forms, húsbíl and gamlan.
In the compound word húsbíl, which part determines the gender of the word?
In Icelandic compound words, the final root word always determines the gender and how the noun declines. Since bíll (car) is masculine, the entire compound húsbíll (campervan or motorhome) is masculine, even though the first part, hús (house), is neuter.