Breakdown of Það er óvænt að þú afbókar ekki herbergið.
vera
to be
þú
you
það
it / there (existential) / the one (n)
ekki
not
herbergið
the room
að
that (conjunction)
óvæntur
unexpected
afbóka
to cancel
Questions & Answers about Það er óvænt að þú afbókar ekki herbergið.
Why does ekki come after the verb afbókar in this subordinate clause?
In Icelandic, the negation ekki (not) usually comes right after the conjugated verb, even in subordinate clauses starting with að (that). Unlike English where we say 'do not cancel', Icelandic keeps the verb first: þú afbókar ekki (you cancel not).
Can I put ekki at the very end of the sentence, like að þú afbókar herbergið ekki?
No, that word order sounds unnatural here. The standard rule is that ekki directly follows the conjugated verb and comes before the direct object (herbergið).
Why does the adjective óvænt end in a 't'?
What case is herbergið in?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object being cancelled. Because herbergi (room) is a neuter noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative form. The -ð on the end is the attached word for 'the'.
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