Breakdown of Öryggishnappurinn er á borðinu.
vera
to be
borðið
the table
á
on
öryggishnappurinn
the personal alarm button
Questions & Answers about Öryggishnappurinn er á borðinu.
What are the dictionary forms of the words in this sentence?
The forms you would usually look up are:
- öryggishnappur = safety button
- vera = to be
- á = on
- borð = table
In the sentence, they appear as:
- öryggishnappurinn = the safety button
- er = is
- á = on
- borðinu = the table, in the form required after á here
Why is there no separate word for the?
Because Icelandic usually puts the definite article onto the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.
So:
- hnappur = button
- hnappurinn = the button
and
- borð = table
- borðið / borðinu = the table, depending on case
This is one of the first big differences from English. Icelandic often says the by adding an ending, not by putting a word in front.
Why is öryggishnappurinn one long word?
Because Icelandic loves compound nouns.
Öryggishnappurinn is built from:
- öryggi = safety
- hnappur = button
Together they make öryggishnappur = safety button.
Then the definite ending is added, giving öryggishnappurinn = the safety button.
This kind of compounding is extremely common in Icelandic, much more so than in English.