Forngripurinn er gamall.

The antique is old.

Breakdown of Forngripurinn er gamall.

• vera: to be
• gamall: old
• forngripurinn: the antique

Questions & Answers about Forngripurinn er gamall.

How do I break down forngripurinn?

It can be split into two parts:

• forngripur = artifact / relic / antique
• -inn = the definite article, meaning the

So forngripurinn means the artifact / the relic / the antique.

You can also see forngripur as built from older elements meaning something like ancient object.

Why is there no separate word for the?

In Icelandic, the is usually added to the end of the noun instead of standing as a separate word.

So:

• forngripur = an artifact / artifact
• forngripurinn = the artifact

This attached article is extremely common in Icelandic and is one of the first big differences English speakers notice.

What gender, number, and case is forngripurinn?

Here it is:

• gender: masculine
• number: singular
• case: nominative

It is nominative because it is the subject of the sentence: The artifact is old.

That matters because adjectives in Icelandic must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

What does er mean?