Handverkið er fallegt.

The handicraft is beautiful.

Breakdown of Handverkið er fallegt.

• vera: to be
• falleg: beautiful
• handverkið: the handicraft

Questions & Answers about Handverkið er fallegt.

What are the dictionary forms of the words in Handverkið er fallegt?

The dictionary forms are:

• handverk = craft, handicraft, craftwork
• vera = to be
• fallegur = beautiful, pretty, lovely

In the sentence, those appear as:

• Handverkið = handverk
  • the definite article
• er = present tense of vera
• fallegt = the neuter singular form of fallegur

Why does handverk become Handverkið?

The ending -ið is the definite article attached to the noun, so:

• handverk = craft / handicraft
• handverkið = the craft / the handicraft / the craftwork

This is very common in Icelandic. Instead of a separate word like English the, Icelandic often adds the article to the end of the noun.

What gender is handverk, and why does that matter?

Handverk is neuter.

That matters because adjectives in Icelandic must agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since handverkið is neuter singular here, the adjective also has to be in a neuter singular form: fallegt.