Breakdown of Gæðin hérna eru best.
vera
to be
hérna
here (colloquial, pointing)
bestur
best
gæðin
the quality
Questions & Answers about Gæðin hérna eru best.
Why is the word for the best just best here?
The word best comes from the adjective góður (good). Just like in English (good, better, best), this adjective is completely irregular in Icelandic: góður, betri, bestur. Because gæðin is a neuter plural noun, we use the neuter plural form of the superlative, which is simply best.
Why does the sentence use eru (are) when the English translation uses is?
In Icelandic, the word for quality (gæði) is usually a plural noun. Because the noun is plural, it takes the plural verb eru (are) instead of the singular er (is). You are literally saying the qualities here are best.
Where is the word for the in this sentence?
As you may remember from earlier lessons, Icelandic usually attaches the definite article (the word for the) to the end of the noun. The base plural noun is gæði, and adding the ending -in makes it gæðin.
Could I just say hér instead of hérna?
Yes, you can! Both hér and hérna mean here and are used interchangeably in most situations. Hérna is just a slightly softer, more conversational form that is very common in everyday spoken Icelandic.