Skepnan er lítil.

to be

Breakdown of Skepnan er lítil.

• lítill: small
• skepnan: the creature; beast

Questions & Answers about Skepnan er lítil.

Why does skepna become skepnan here?

Because Icelandic usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

• skepna = a creature
• skepnan = the creature

This is very common in Icelandic. For feminine nouns ending in -a, the singular definite form often ends in -an, as in:

• kona → konan = the woman
• skepna → skepnan = the creature

What gender is skepna, and why does that matter?

Skepna is a feminine noun. Gender matters in Icelandic because adjectives often have to match the noun they describe.

In this sentence:

• skepnan is feminine, singular, nominative
• so the adjective must also be feminine, singular, nominative
• that is why we get lítil

If the noun were masculine or neuter, the adjective form would be different.

Why is it lítil and not lítill or lítið?