From Iceland — The Word Of The Issue: Nenna

The Word Of The Issue: Nenna

Published April 8, 2016

The Word Of The Issue: Nenna
Andie Sophia Fontaine
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Various Wikipedia screenshots

The Word of the Issue this issue is nenna. This is a very important Icelandic word to learn. As a verb, it means “to have the will to do something,” and is almost always used negatively, e.g., “Ég nenni ekki út, ætla frekar að vera inni í tölvunni.” (“I don’t feel like going out, I’d rather stay in and go online.”) However, our sources tell us that English-speaking immigrants in Iceland have also started using it as a noun, e.g., “I would, but I just don’t have the nenn for it.”

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