Log inSign up

Þetta er falleg mynd en hún er ekki ný.

Þetta er falleg mynd en hún er ekki ný.
This is a beautiful picture, but it is not new.
From Lesson 5:Basic negation (ekki)·Icelandic

Breakdown of Þetta er falleg mynd en hún er ekki ný.

þetta
this
vera
to be
myndin
the picture
hún
she
en
but
nýr
new
ekki
not
fallegur
beautiful

Questions & Answers about Þetta er falleg mynd en hún er ekki ný.

Why does ekki come directly after the verb er?
In standard Icelandic sentences, the verb is usually in the second position. The negation word ekki (not) simply goes immediately after that main verb. So, "it is not" naturally becomes hún er ekki.
Why is the word hún (she) used to mean "it" here?
In Icelandic, all nouns have a grammatical gender: masculine, feminine, or neuter. The word for picture, mynd, is a feminine noun. Because of this, you must use the feminine pronoun hún to refer back to it, even though we just say "it" in English.
If mynd is feminine, why does the sentence start with the neuter word þetta?
When you introduce or point to something by saying "This is...", Icelandic always uses the generic neuter word þetta (this), no matter the noun's actual gender. However, once the noun is established, any pronouns that follow it, like the hún later in the sentence, must match its true gender.
Are falleg and ný in special forms here?
Yes! Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Since mynd is feminine and singular, the adjectives falleg (beautiful) and ný (new) are both used in their feminine singular forms here.

Learn Þetta er falleg mynd en hún er ekki ný and more in Icelandic

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Icelandic →