Breakdown of Mér finnst maturinn góður.
góður
good
finnast
to find, to think
mér
me (dative)
maturinn
the food
Questions & Answers about Mér finnst maturinn góður.
Why do we use Mér instead of Ég here?
This is what we call a quirky subject. In Icelandic, some verbs related to feelings or opinions require the person experiencing them to be in the dative case. So instead of using the normal subject Ég (I), we use the dative form Mér (to me).
Does finnst literally translate to think?
Not exactly. Finnst comes from the verb finna (to find). In this form, it means something closer to seems or is found to be. A more literal translation of this sentence would be 'To me, the food seems good' or 'I find the food good.' This is why it naturally pairs with the dative Mér.
Why is there an -inn at the end of maturinn?
That is the definite article, which means 'the'. In Icelandic, the word for 'the' attaches to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word. Matur means 'food', and adding the masculine ending -inn makes it maturinn (the food).
Why use góður instead of gott?
Adjectives in Icelandic have to match the gender of the noun they describe. Because matur (food) is a masculine noun, we use the masculine form góður. The form gott is for neuter nouns.