Breakdown of Safinn er ódýr en sykurinn er dýr.
vera
to be
en
but
safinn
the juice
dýr
expensive
ódýr
cheap
sykurinn
the sugar
Questions & Answers about Safinn er ódýr en sykurinn er dýr.
Does the word en change the word order in the second half of the sentence?
No. The word en (but) is a coordinating conjunction, which means it simply links two normal, complete sentences together. Both halves of the sentence keep the standard subject-verb-adjective order: Safinn er ódýr and sykurinn er dýr.
What is the relationship between ódýr (cheap) and dýr (expensive)?
The prefix ó- in Icelandic means "un-" or "not". So, ódýr literally translates to "un-expensive" or "not expensive". It is a very common way to create opposites in Icelandic!
Where is the word for "the" in safinn and sykurinn?
In Icelandic, "the" isn't a separate word that goes before the noun like it is in English. Instead, it attaches to the end. The basic dictionary words are safi (juice) and sykur (sugar). Because they are both masculine nouns, they take the masculine ending -inn to become safinn (the juice) and sykurinn (the sugar).
Why don't the adjectives ódýr and dýr have any special endings here?
Adjectives change their endings to match the gender of the noun they describe. Because safinn and sykurinn are both masculine nouns, the adjectives stay in their standard masculine dictionary forms: ódýr and dýr. If we were talking about a neuter noun like hús (house), they would need an -t ending: ódýrt and dýrt.
Learn Safinn er ódýr en sykurinn er dýr 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