Breakdown of Ég veit að skrifstofan er opin í dag.
vera
to be
ég
I
opinn
open
í dag
today
vita
to know (a fact, information)
að
that (conjunction)
skrifstofan
the office
Questions & Answers about Ég veit að skrifstofan er opin í dag.
How does the word að affect the word order in the second part of the sentence?
The word að (that) connects the main sentence to the sub-clause. In Icelandic, a sub-clause starting with að keeps the normal Subject-Verb word order, just like a regular main sentence. So we say að skrifstofan (subject) er (verb) opin.
Why is the word for open spelled opin instead of opinn?
In Icelandic, adjectives change their endings to match the noun they describe. The word for office, skrifstofa, is a feminine noun. Because it is feminine, the adjective takes the feminine singular form opin rather than the masculine dictionary form opinn.
How do you say just 'office' without 'the'?
You would say skrifstofa. Remember that in Icelandic, the word for 'the' isn't a separate word like in English. Instead, it attaches to the end of the noun. Adding -n to the feminine noun skrifstofa makes it skrifstofan (the office).
Does í dag translate exactly to 'today'?
It means 'today', but translated word-for-word, í dag literally means 'in day'. This is a very common set phrase, using the preposition í (in) followed by dagur (day).
Why do we use veit for 'know' here?
The verb vita (here as ég veit) is used when you know a fact or a piece of information, like knowing that an office is open. If you were talking about knowing a person or being familiar with a place, you would use a different verb, þekkja.
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