Breakdown of Mér finnst sölumaðurinn ekki bara fyndinn, heldur líka gáfaður.
ég
I
ekki
not
bara
just / only
finnast
to find, to think
fyndinn
funny
líka
also
gáfaður
intelligent
heldur
rather, but rather
sölumaðurinn
the salesman
Questions & Answers about Mér finnst sölumaðurinn ekki bara fyndinn, heldur líka gáfaður.
Why are the adjectives fyndinn and gáfaður both in the nominative case here?
The conjunction ekki bara... heldur (líka) coordinates two parallel items, meaning they must match in grammatical case. Because they both describe sölumaðurinn, they match its case. Sölumaðurinn is in the nominative because it is the grammatical subject of the verb finnst.
I thought the person having the opinion (Mér) would be the subject. Why is sölumaðurinn the subject instead?
With the verb finnast (to find or be of the opinion), the person who holds the opinion takes the dative case (Mér) as an experiencer. The thing they are evaluating (sölumaðurinn) is actually the grammatical subject of the sentence, which is why it takes the nominative case.
Why is ekki bara placed after sölumaðurinn and not before it?
The placement tells us exactly what is being added. Because ekki bara... heldur líka brackets the adjectives (fyndinn and gáfaður), it means the salesman has both of those traits. If you placed it earlier, like ekki bara sölumaðurinn, it would mean not only the salesman, but also someone else, is funny.
Is the word líka mandatory in this structure?
No, it is optional. Just as in English you can say not only funny but intelligent, in Icelandic you can drop líka and just say ...heldur gáfaður. Keeping líka just adds a natural emphasis.
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