Breakdown of Ökutækjaskráin er í tölvunni.
vera
to be
tölva
the computer
í
in
ökutækjaskráin
the vehicle register
Questions & Answers about Ökutækjaskráin er í tölvunni.
How is Ökutækjaskráin built up?
It is a compound noun:
- ökutækja- = of vehicles
- skrá = register, record, file, registry
- -in = the (attached definite article)
So Ökutækjaskráin literally means something like the vehicle register or the register of vehicles.
A useful rule in Icelandic is that the last part of a compound is the main noun. That means skrá determines the gender and how the whole word is declined.
Why is it ökutækja- and not ökutæki-?
Because the first part is in the genitive plural.
- ökutæki = vehicle
- ökutækja = of vehicles
Icelandic often forms compounds with a genitive first element, especially when English would use vehicle ..., school ..., company ..., and so on.
So:
- ökutækjaskrá = register of vehicles not just vehicle-register in a loose English sense, but more literally vehicles’ register
This is very common in Icelandic compounds.
Why is there no separate word for the?