Breakdown of Sama hvað ég reyni, strákurinn þráast við.
ég
I
strákurinn
the boy
hvað
what
reyna
to try (attempt)
sama
the same / matters not
þráast við
to resist stubbornly
Questions & Answers about Sama hvað ég reyni, strákurinn þráast við.
How exactly does the phrase sama hvað translate to 'no matter what', and does sama ever change its ending?
The phrase translates literally as 'the same what'. In these 'no matter' clauses, sama functions as an invariable adjective. This means it is frozen in this form and never changes its ending to match a noun's gender, number, or case. You can pair it with other question words too, like sama hvar (no matter where) or sama hvernig (no matter how).
Does the clause sama hvað ég reyni require the subjunctive mood?
No, and that is a very helpful feature of sama clauses. While other concessive conjunctions like þó að (even though) usually trigger the subjunctive mood, sama plus an interrogative word generally takes the normal indicative mood. Note that for ég reyni, the indicative and subjunctive forms happen to look identical anyway, but this indicative rule applies to all verbs in this structure.
The verb þráast ends in -st. Is this a passive verb?
No, it is a middle voice verb. The -st ending in Icelandic can sometimes mean passive, but here it indicates a state of mind or behavior. Þráast comes from the noun þrái (stubbornness). Verbs describing stubbornness, struggling, or interacting often use the -st form inherently without having a passive meaning.
Why is the word við left hanging at the end of the sentence?
Here, við is not acting as a preposition linking to a following noun, but rather as an adverbial particle that belongs to the verb. The phrasal verb þráast við specifically means 'to resist stubbornly' or 'to dig one's heels in'. Because it is a particle rather than a preposition taking an object, it sits naturally at the end of the clause.
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