Breakdown of Við skoðum þetta armband. Það er mjög flott.
vera
to be
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
við
we
mjög
very
skoða
to look at
þessi
this (m/f)
armbandið
the bracelet
flottur
cool
Questions & Answers about Við skoðum þetta armband. Það er mjög flott.
Why do we use þetta here instead of þessi?
The word for "this" changes depending on the gender and case of the noun it points to. The verb skoðum (we look at) forces its object into the accusative case. Because armband (bracelet) is a neuter noun, "this" becomes þetta. For neuter words, the nominative (subject) and accusative (object) forms are actually identical: both are þetta!
Since skoðum forces the accusative case, why didn't the word armband change?
Neuter nouns like armband are very learner-friendly! In Icelandic, all neuter nouns look exactly the same in the accusative case as they do in the nominative (the basic dictionary form).
Why do we use Það for "It" in the second sentence?
In Icelandic, the word you use for "it" must match the grammatical gender of the noun you are replacing. Because armband is a neuter word, we use the neuter pronoun það. If we were talking about a masculine object like a car (bíll), we would use hann (he) instead.
Why is the word for "cool" spelled flott here and not flottur?
Adjectives always have to agree with the gender of the noun they describe. Because Það is standing in for the neuter noun armband, the adjective must also be in its neuter form: flott. If you were describing a masculine noun, it would be flottur.
Could I use sjá (to see) instead of skoða here?
You could, but it changes the meaning. Sjá simply means to passively see something with your eyes. Skoða means to actively look at, examine, or check something out, which makes perfect sense when you are admiring or inspecting a bracelet.
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