Rotþróin er full.

The septic tank is full.

Breakdown of Rotþróin er full.

• vera: to be
• fullur: full
• rotþróin: the septic tank

Questions & Answers about Rotþróin er full.

Why is rotþróin written as one word?

Because Icelandic loves compound words. The base noun is rotþró and the definite article is added directly to the end, giving rotþróin.

So structurally it is:

• rotþró = septic tank / cesspit
• -in = the (here, the feminine singular definite ending)

That means rotþróin literally works like the septic tank.

Why is there no separate word for the?

In Icelandic, the is usually not a separate word. Instead, it is attached to the noun as a suffix.

So:

• rotþró = a septic tank / septic tank
• rotþróin = the septic tank

This is one of the big differences from English. English uses a separate article; Icelandic very often adds it onto the noun.

What gender is rotþró, and how can I tell?

Rotþró is a feminine noun.

You can tell in this sentence mainly because of the way the adjective appears:

• masculine: fullur
• feminine: full
• neuter: fullt

Since the sentence says full, the noun it refers to must be feminine singular here.

The definite ending -in is also consistent with a feminine singular nominative form.