Learn Icelandic: Eftirlaunin eru góð og lífið er frábært. - The retirement is good and the life is great.

In Icelandic, the word for retirement or pension, eftirlaun, is actually a neuter plural word. It comes from eftir (after) and laun (wages). Because it is plural, it takes the plural verb eru (are), even though we use the singular 'is' in English.

How is the word eftirlaunin formed?

It breaks down into eftir (after) plus laun (wages or salary) plus -in (the attached definite article 'the' for a neuter plural word). Literally, it translates to 'the after-wages'.

Why are the adjectives góð and frábært spelled this way?

Adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun they describe. Eftirlaunin is a neuter plural noun, so the base adjective góður (good) becomes góð. Lífið (the life) is a neuter singular noun, so frábær (great) takes the neuter singular ending to become frábært.

Why do eftirlaunin and lífið have the definite article 'the' attached to them?

Icelandic often uses the definite article (the attached -in and -ið) for general, broad concepts like 'life' or 'retirement' where English usually leaves it out. To sound natural in Icelandic, you literally say 'The retirement is good and the life is great.'