Breakdown of Ferillinn var frábær þegar hún vann í borginni.
vera
to be
hún
she
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
vinna
to work (general labor, to do work)
borgin
the city (f)
frábær
fantastic
þegar
when
ferillinn
the career
Questions & Answers about Ferillinn var frábær þegar hún vann í borginni.
Why do we use þegar for "when" in this sentence instead of hvenær?
In Icelandic, þegar is used as a linking word (a conjunction) to connect two statements, specifically for past or general events like "when she worked". You only use hvenær when you are asking a direct or indirect question, like "When did she work?".
Is vann the past tense of vinna?
Yes! Vinna is a strong verb, meaning it changes its core vowel in the past tense rather than adding a standard ending. Hún vann means "she worked". Keep in mind that vinna also means "to win", so context tells us she worked in the city, rather than won it!
Why does borg (city) become borginni here?
The preposition í (in) takes the dative case when talking about a static location, meaning the place where something is happening. Borg is a feminine noun, and its dative form with the definite article attached ("the city") is borginni.
Why is the adjective frábær (great) in this specific form?
Adjectives must match the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe. Because ferillinn (the career) is a masculine, singular noun in the nominative case (it is the subject of the sentence), frábær stays in its base dictionary form, which is the masculine singular nominative.
Learn Ferillinn var frábær þegar hún vann í borginni and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free