Barnið beit eplið.

Because -ið is the definite article for many neuter singular nouns in Icelandic.

• barn = child
• barnið = the child
• epli = apple
• eplið = the apple

Unlike English, Icelandic usually adds the as an ending on the noun rather than using a separate word.

The dictionary forms are:

• barn = child
• bíta = to bite
• epli = apple

In the sentence:

• barnið comes from barn
• beit is a past-tense form of bíta
• eplið comes from epli

So if you look these words up, you would usually search for barn, bíta, and epli.

Because bíta is a strong verb, which means it forms its past tense by changing its vowel instead of adding a regular ending.

Here are the key forms:

• bíta = to bite
• beit = bit
• bitið = bitten

This is similar to English bite – bit – bitten. So beit is the correct past tense form, not a regular weak-verb form.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

• Barnið ≈ BAR-nith
• beit ≈ bayt
• eplið ≈ EP-lith

A few useful notes:

• ð in modern Icelandic is often like the th in this, though at the end of a word it can sound weaker.
• ei is pronounced like ay in day, but a little sharper.
• Stress in Icelandic almost always falls on the first syllable: BAR-nið, BEIT, EP-lið.

In this sentence:

• barnið is nominative because it is the subject: the child did the biting.
• eplið is accusative because it is the direct object: the apple is what got bitten.

One important thing here is that for many neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative forms are the same in the singular. So even though the two nouns have different grammatical roles, their forms do not change here.

Yes. Barnið beit eplið is the most neutral word order: subject – verb – object, just like English.

But Icelandic word order is more flexible because case endings help show who is doing what. For example, you may see different orders for emphasis or style.

Still, in a simple statement, Barnið beit eplið is the most straightforward and natural way to say it.

Usually by using the indefinite nouns without the article:

• barn = a child / child
• epli = an apple / apple

So:

• Barn beit epli.

Icelandic does not normally have a separate word for a/an like English does. The noun without the definite ending is often enough.

Yes, both are neuter nouns, and that matters a lot in Icelandic grammar.

• barn is neuter
• epli is neuter

Their gender affects things like:

• the form of the definite article
• adjective endings
• pronouns that refer to them
• some case forms

That is why both nouns take the neuter definite ending -ið here.

It is singular.

• barn = child
• barnið = the child

The plural would be different:

• börn = children
• börnin = the children

So Barnið beit eplið clearly means one child bit one apple.

In this sentence, beit is the past tense of bíta and means bit.

However, Icelandic verbs can have different forms depending on tense and person in other contexts. So it is best to learn beit specifically as the past singular form of bíta.

For this sentence, you can safely understand:

• beit = bit