Learn Icelandic: Vafinn er hvort það er satt. - The doubt is whether it is true.

Vafinn er hvort það er satt.

The doubt is whether it is true.

Breakdown of Vafinn er hvort það er satt.

vera

to be

það

it / there (existential) / the one (n)

Questions & Answers about Vafinn er hvort það er satt.

Why do we use hvort here instead of ef?

In English, we often use "if" for this meaning ("The doubt is if it is true"). But in Icelandic, when introducing an indirect yes/no question (where the answer could be yes or no), you must use hvort (whether). The word ef is only used for conditions, like "If it rains, we will stay inside."

What is the base word for vafinn (the doubt) and why does it end in -nn?

The base word is the masculine noun vafi (doubt). The -nn ending is the attached definite article, meaning "the". Because vafi already ends in a vowel, we just add -nn rather than the full -inn ending to make it vafinn (the doubt).

Why is the word for "true" written as satt instead of sannur?

Satt is the neuter singular form of the adjective sannur (true). It takes the neuter form here because it describes the pronoun það (it), which is also neuter.

Why is the word order það er satt after hvort instead of er það satt?

When you ask a direct question, the verb comes first (er það satt? - is it true?). But because this is an indirect question acting as a clause inside a larger sentence, the word order goes back to a normal statement format: subject (það) followed by the verb (er).