Flutningakassinn er tómur.

to be

Breakdown of Flutningakassinn er tómur.

• tómur: empty
• flutningakassinn: the moving box

Questions & Answers about Flutningakassinn er tómur.

Why is Flutningakassinn one long word?

Because Icelandic very often builds new nouns by combining words into a single compound.

Here, flutningakassi is a compound:

• flutninga- relates to moving / transport
• kassi means box

So flutningakassi is a moving box. Then -inn is added to make it definite, giving flutningakassinn = the moving box.

This kind of compounding is extremely common in Icelandic.

What does the ending -inn mean?

-inn is the definite article attached to the end of the noun. In other words, it gives the meaning of the.

So:

• flutningakassi = a moving box or just moving box
• flutningakassinn = the moving box

Unlike English, Icelandic usually does not put a separate word before the noun for the. It often adds it to the noun instead.

Why is there no separate word for a or an?