Log inSign up

Maður finnur gæfu og það er engin tilviljun.

Maður finnur gæfu og það er engin tilviljun.
You find good luck and it is no coincidence.
From Lesson 165:The impersonal pronoun (maður)·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Maður finnur gæfu og það er engin tilviljun.

Why does the translation say "You find" when maður usually means "man"?
In Icelandic, maður is very often used as an impersonal pronoun, just like a general "you" or "one" in English (as in "you never know"). Because it is grammatically third-person singular, it is always followed by a third-person verb form, like finnur.
Why is the word for luck spelled gæfu here instead of gæfa?
The dictionary form of the word is gæfa, which is a feminine noun. In this sentence, it is the direct object of the verb finna (to find). That means it must take the accusative case, which changes gæfa to gæfu.
Why do we use engin for "no" rather than ekkert or enginn?
The word for "no" must match the gender of the noun it describes. Because tilviljun (coincidence) is a feminine noun, we have to use the feminine form engin. Enginn is for masculine nouns, and ekkert is for neuter nouns.
Does það (it) refer back to the luck (gæfu)?
No, það refers to the entire situation of finding luck, not the word gæfu itself. If it referred specifically back to the feminine word gæfu, it would be the feminine pronoun hún. Since it refers to a general concept or situation, it takes the default neuter form það.

Learn Maður finnur gæfu og það er engin tilviljun and more in Icelandic

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Icelandic →