Ruslagámurinn er bak við sumarbústaðinn.

The rubbish container is behind the summer cottage.

Breakdown of Ruslagámurinn er bak við sumarbústaðinn.

• vera: to be
• bakvið: behind
• sumarbústaðurinn: the summer cottage
• ruslagámurinn: the rubbish container

Questions & Answers about Ruslagámurinn er bak við sumarbústaðinn.

Why is Ruslagámurinn written as one long word?

Because Icelandic uses compound nouns very freely.

Ruslagámurinn can be broken down like this:

• rusl = trash, rubbish
• gámur = container / skip / dumpster
• -inn = the definite article, attached to the noun

So ruslagámurinn is literally trash-container-the.

This is very normal in Icelandic. Where English often uses multiple words, Icelandic often packs the idea into one compound word.

Why is there no separate word for the?

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

So:

• ruslagámur = a dumpster
• ruslagámurinn = the dumpster

and

• sumarbústaður = a summer house / summer cottage
• sumarbústaðinn = the summer house / summer cottage

That is one of the first big differences English speakers notice.

What does er mean here?

Er means is.

It is the present tense, singular form of vera (to be).

So:

• ég er = I am
• þú ert = you are
• hann/hún/það er = he/she/it is

In this sentence, the subject is singular (Ruslagámurinn), so er is the correct form.