Word
Skoðunarmaðurinn les skráningarnúmerið áður en hann athugar rúðuþurrkuna og hemlakerfið.
Meaning
The vehicle inspector reads the registration number before he checks the windshield wiper and the braking system.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Skoðunarmaðurinn les skráningarnúmerið áður en hann athugar rúðuþurrkuna og hemlakerfið.
hann
he
lesa
to read
áður en
before
og
and
Questions & Answers about Skoðunarmaðurinn les skráningarnúmerið áður en hann athugar rúðuþurrkuna og hemlakerfið.
How is Skoðunarmaðurinn built up?
It is a compound noun:
- skoðun = inspection
- maður = man, person
- -inn = the definite article the
So skoðunarmaðurinn means the inspector / the inspection officer.
Because it is the subject of the sentence, it is in the nominative singular.
Why is there no separate word for the?
In Icelandic, the is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.
In this sentence:
- skoðunarmaðurinn = the inspector
- skráningarnúmerið = the registration number
- rúðuþurrkuna = the windshield wiper
- hemlakerfið = the braking system
The basic indefinite forms would be:
- skoðunarmaður
- skráningarnúmer
- rúðuþurrka
- hemlakerfi
So a very common Icelandic pattern is: noun first, definite ending attached at the end.
Why do the definite nouns have different endings like -inn, -ið, and -una?