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Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Stefnumótið var stutt. - The date was short.

Hardcore Icelandic
/Arranging support for an older relative
/Stefnumótið var stutt.

Stefnumótið var stutt.

Stefnumótið var stutt.

The date was short.

Breakdown of Stefnumótið var stutt.

the date; arranged meeting

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Questions & Answers about Stefnumótið var stutt.

Why does stefnumót become stefnumótið here?

Because Icelandic usually puts the definite article on the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

stefnumót = date
stefnumótið = the date

So -ið is the definite ending here.

What exactly is -ið?

-ið is the definite article ending for a neuter singular noun in this form.

In this sentence, stefnumótið is the subject, so it is in the nominative case. For many neuter nouns, the nominative singular definite ending is -ið.

How do I know that stefnumót is neuter?

There are two useful clues here:

The definite form is stefnumótið, and -ið is a typical neuter singular definite ending.
The adjective is stutt, which is the neuter singular form used to match the noun.

In a dictionary, stefnumót would also be marked as a neuter noun.

What does var mean grammatically?

Var is the past tense of vera, which means to be.

So:

er = is
var = was

In this sentence, var is the singular past form used with the singular subject stefnumótið.

Why is the adjective stutt?

Because Icelandic adjectives have to agree with the noun they describe.

Here, stefnumótið is:

singular
neuter
nominative

So the adjective also appears in the singular neuter nominative form:

masculine: stuttur
feminine: stutt
neuter: stutt

That is why the sentence has stutt.

Why isn’t it stutta, since stefnumótið is definite?

That is a very common question.

After vera and similar verbs, Icelandic normally uses a predicate adjective, and predicate adjectives usually appear in the strong form, not the weak form.

So:

Stefnumótið var stutt = The date was short
stutta stefnumótið = the short date if the adjective is placed directly before the noun

In other words:

after was, use stutt
directly before a definite noun, you often get the weak form stutta

What case is stefnumótið in?

It is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence.

In Stefnumótið var stutt, the thing being talked about is the date, so that noun is the subject, and subjects are normally in the nominative.

Is this the normal word order in Icelandic?

Yes. This is the normal order for a simple statement:

Stefnumótið = subject
var = verb
stutt = complement

So the pattern is basically Subject – Verb – Complement, just like in English here.

However, Icelandic is a verb-second language, so if you move another element to the front, the verb still usually stays in second position:

Í gær var stefnumótið stutt = Yesterday the date was short

Does stefnumót only mean a romantic date?

Not always. It often does mean a romantic date, but it can also mean an arranged meeting or appointment depending on context.

So the exact nuance depends on the situation. In many beginner examples, though, learners will most naturally understand it as a romantic date.

How is Stefnumótið var stutt pronounced?

A rough guide is:

Stefnumótið: stress the first syllable, STEF-nu-mó-tið
var: like var with an a closer to the vowel in father
stutt: short and clipped

A few sound notes:

ó is a long o sound
ð is like the th in this
the u in stutt does not have an exact English equivalent, but a rounded short vowel is a good approximation

The main stress in Icelandic almost always falls on the first syllable, so here the strongest stress is on STEF-.

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