Questions & Answers about Maturinn hans er verstur.
verstur means "worst". What is the normal word for "bad"?
The most common word for "bad" is vondur (or sometimes illur). Just like in English (bad, worse, worst), this adjective is completely irregular in Icelandic. The comparative form is verri (worse) and the superlative is verstur (worst).
Why does verstur end in -ur here?
Because it is describing maturinn (the food), which is a masculine noun. Superlatives in Icelandic change their endings to match the gender of the noun. If you were talking about a feminine noun like bókin (the book), you would drop the -ur and say Bókin hans er verst.
Why is verstur in the strong (indefinite) form when we translate it as "the worst"?
In Icelandic, when an adjective comes right after the verb vera (to be) to describe the subject, it usually stays in the strong (indefinite) form. This is true even if the subject itself is definite, like maturinn (the food). So we use verstur rather than the definite form versti.
Why is the word order Maturinn hans instead of Hans matur?
In Icelandic, the standard way to show possession is to use the noun with the "the" ending attached (maturinn = the food), followed by the possessive pronoun (hans = his). Literally, it translates to "the food his". Putting hans first is grammatically possible but sounds very dramatic or poetic.