nægja

Nægja is an Icelandic verb meaning to suffice or to be enough. It is used to express that a quantity, amount, information, or action meets a need or requirement. The word is common in everyday speech and can be used in impersonal constructions as well as with subjects in different person and number forms.

Etymology and relatives: nægja originates in Old Norse as nægja and has descendants in Icelandic that retain the sense of sufficiency. In other Scandinavian languages the corresponding roots can have different meanings, but in Icelandic nægja specifically conveys adequacy or sufficiency.

Usage and examples: The verb is typically used to indicate that something is adequate. For example, it can appear as an impersonal form: það nægir, meaning “that suffices” or “that is enough.” With pronouns in the dative, it can express “that is enough for me” as in það nægir mér. Another common form is þetta nægir, meaning “this is enough.” The negation is formed with ekki: þetta nægir ekki (this is not enough). In some constructions, nægja can be used with an infinitive clause to signal sufficiency of an action, such as það nægir að vita þetta (that is enough to know this), though exact word order may vary by speaker.

See also: Icelandic verbs of sufficiency; nægja in contrast with related terms for denial or insufficiency in other languages.