Learn Icelandic: Konan sem vinnur hér er sjötíu ára og mjög reynd. - The woman who works here is seventy years old and very experienced.

Konan sem vinnur hér er sjötíu ára og mjög reynd.

The woman who works here is seventy years old and very experienced.

Breakdown of Konan sem vinnur hér er sjötíu ára og mjög reynd.

Questions & Answers about Konan sem vinnur hér er sjötíu ára og mjög reynd.

Why do we say ára instead of just ár for "years"?

To express age in Icelandic, you use the verb vera (to be), followed by the number, and then ára. The word ára is the genitive (possessive) plural form of ár (year). You are literally saying that she is "of seventy years".

Why is the word for "experienced" written as reynd instead of its dictionary form reyndur?

Adjectives in Icelandic must change their endings to match the gender of the noun they describe. Because konan (the woman) is a feminine noun, the adjective drops the masculine -ur ending to become the feminine form reynd.

The word sem translates to "who" here. Can it also mean "that" or "which"?

Yes! The word sem is an incredibly useful, all-purpose connecting word. It never changes its form and can mean "who", "which", or "that" depending on the context of the sentence.

Where is the word for "the" in konan?

In Icelandic, the word for "the" is usually attached to the end of the noun as a suffix, rather than being a separate word. The base word is kona (a woman), and adding the suffix -n makes it konan (the woman).