Breakdown of Sjónvarpið var dýrt en bókin var ódýr.
vera
to be
bókin
the book
en
but
sjónvarpið
the television
dýr
expensive
ódýr
cheap
Questions & Answers about Sjónvarpið var dýrt en bókin var ódýr.
Does the word en (but) change the word order in the second half of the sentence?
No, it doesn't. En is a coordinating conjunction, meaning it simply links two normal, equal sentences together. The second part (bókin var ódýr) keeps the standard subject-verb word order, just like the first part (Sjónvarpið var...).
Why does the word for expensive end in a -t (dýrt) but the word for cheap doesn't (ódýr)?
In Icelandic, adjectives change to match the grammatical gender of the noun they describe. Sjónvarpið (the television) is a neuter noun, so the adjective adds a -t to become dýrt. Bókin (the book) is a feminine noun, and the feminine form of this adjective doesn't take a special ending, so it stays ódýr.
Is there a connection between the words dýrt (expensive) and ódýr (cheap)?
Yes! The prefix ó- in Icelandic works just like "un-" or "non-" in English. It gives a word the opposite meaning. Because dýr means expensive, ódýr literally translates to "un-expensive".
I don't see a separate word for "the" here. How do we know it's "the television" and "the book"?
As a quick refresher: in Icelandic, "the" is usually attached to the end of the noun rather than standing alone as a separate word. The -ið at the end of sjónvarpið and the -in at the end of bókin are these attached endings (called definite articles).
Learn Sjónvarpið var dýrt en bókin var ódýr 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