Breakdown of Skuldin við bankann er mjög há.
vera
to be
mjög
very
bankinn
the bank
hár
high / loudly
við
at / by (next to)
skuldin
the debt
Questions & Answers about Skuldin við bankann er mjög há.
Why is the preposition við used to mean "to" in skuldin við bankann?
While við frequently translates to "with" or "by", it is the standard preposition used for expressing debts, accounts, or business relationships tied to a person or institution. It helps to think of it as having an outstanding balance "with" the bank.
Why is bankann in the accusative case rather than the dative?
The preposition við governs the accusative case in this phrase. While við can take the dative in specific contexts (such as reacting "to" something or leaning "against" something), it dictates the accusative when describing relationships, associations, and financial ties.
Could I use mikil instead of há to describe a large debt?
Yes, both collocations are very natural in Icelandic. You can describe a debt as either há (high) or mikil (large/great). In this sentence, há is the feminine singular nominative form of the adjective hár, matching the feminine noun skuldin.
Why do both skuldin and bankann use the attached definite article?
Icelandic often makes both nouns definite when referring to a specific relationship between two known entities. The suffix -in gives us "the debt", and the suffix -nn gives us "the bank". If you were discussing the concept generally, you would drop the suffixes and say skuld við banka (debt to a bank).
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