Breakdown of Við sofum úti ef veðurspáin er góð.
vera
to be
góður
good
úti
outside
við
we
sofa
to sleep
ef
if
veðurspáin
the weather forecast
Questions & Answers about Við sofum úti ef veðurspáin er góð.
Does the word ef change the word order here?
When ef (if) comes in the middle of a sentence, both parts keep their normal subject-verb word order. If you started the whole sentence with ef, the main clause would swap its verb and subject: Ef veðurspáin er góð, sofum við úti.
Why do we use úti for outside instead of út?
In Icelandic, location words change depending on whether you are staying in one place or moving toward it. Úti means you are already located outside, which makes sense for sleeping. If you were walking out the door, you would use the motion word út.
How is the word veðurspáin formed?
It is a compound noun made of veður (weather) and spá (forecast). The -in at the very end is the attached word for the, making it the weather forecast. Since spá is a feminine noun, it takes the feminine article -in.
Why is the adjective góð instead of the common form gott?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Even though veður is a neuter word that would take gott, the compound word veðurspáin ends with the feminine noun spá. Because the last part determines the gender of the whole word, we use the feminine adjective góð.
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