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Þessi saga var mjög góð.

Þessi saga var mjög góð.
This story was very good.
From Lesson 43:"This" in the nominative (þessi, þessi, þetta)·Icelandic

Breakdown of Þessi saga var mjög góð.

vera
to be
góður
good
mjög
very
þessi
this (m/f)
sagan
the story

Questions & Answers about Þessi saga var mjög góð.

Why do we use Þessi here instead of Þetta?
The word for 'this' has to match the gender of the noun it points to. Since saga (story) is a feminine noun, we use the feminine form Þessi. If the noun were neuter, like hús (house), we would use Þetta. (Note: the masculine form of 'this' is also Þessi, but here it is feminine).
Why doesn't saga have the definite article attached to it?
When you use a demonstrative pronoun like Þessi (this), the noun that follows usually stays in its basic, indefinite form. That is why we say Þessi saga and not Þessi sagan.
Why is the word for 'good' spelled góð instead of góður or gott?
Adjectives in Icelandic must agree with the gender of the noun they describe. Because saga is a feminine noun, the adjective takes the feminine form góð. If the noun were masculine it would be góður, and if it were neuter it would be gott.
I have seen the word saga used for 'history' before. How do I know which one it is here?
The word saga translates to both 'story' and 'history'. You will always have to rely on the context of the conversation to know which meaning is intended. Here, describing a 'story' as very good is the most natural translation.

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