Breakdown of Það er skýjað og mjög dimmt.
vera
to be
og
and
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
mjög
very
skýjaður
cloudy
dimmur
dark
Questions & Answers about Það er skýjað og mjög dimmt.
Why do we use Það at the beginning of this sentence?
In Icelandic, just like in English, weather sentences need a subject, even though there isn't a specific person or thing doing the action. We use það (it) as a "dummy subject" to fill that grammatical role. You can't just say "Is cloudy."
Why do the words skýjað and dimmt end with -ð and -t?
Adjectives in Icelandic change their endings to match the gender of the noun or pronoun they describe. Because the dummy subject það is a neuter word, the adjectives describing the weather must also be in their neuter forms. The neuter ending for adjectives is often -t (like dimmt) or -ð (like skýjað).
Could I just drop Það and say Er skýjað og mjög dimmt?
In proper written Icelandic, no. The sentence needs a subject. However, in very casual spoken Icelandic, people sometimes drop það when talking about the weather and just start with the verb. Still, as a beginner, it is best to always include það to build good grammar habits!
Can I use dimmt to talk about dark colors, like a dark shirt?
No, dimmt (from the base word dimmur) specifically refers to a lack of light—like a dark room, the dark of night, or gloomy weather. If you want to talk about dark colors, like dark green or a dark shirt, you would use a completely different word: dökkur.
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