Breakdown of Taskan er léttari en bakpokinn.
vera
to be
taskan
the bag
bakpokinn
the backpack
en
than
léttur
light
Questions & Answers about Taskan er léttari en bakpokinn.
How does the adjective léttur change into léttari here, and does it need to match the feminine gender of taskan?
To make a regular adjective comparative, we drop the ending from the base word and add -ari. The best part about comparative adjectives in Icelandic is that they do not change for gender or case! Léttari stays exactly the same whether it describes the feminine taskan or the masculine bakpokinn.
Wait, doesn't en usually mean 'but'?
It does! However, when you use en right after a comparative adjective (like léttari), it acts as the word 'than'. The context of comparing two things makes it clear which meaning is intended.
Why is bakpokinn (the backpack) in the nominative case here? Does en control its case?
The word en does not force a specific case on the word that follows it. Instead, the two things being compared must match in case. Because the first item, taskan, is the subject of the sentence and in the nominative case, the second item, bakpokinn, must also be in the nominative case.
Why do we use the endings on taskan and bakpokinn instead of just saying taska and bakpoki?
Those endings make the nouns definite, meaning 'the bag' and 'the backpack'. We use them here because the sentence compares two specific, known items rather than just making a general statement about any bags or backpacks.
Learn Taskan er léttari en bakpokinn 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