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Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Burðargetan er há. - The load capacity is high.

Hardcore Icelandic
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/Burðargetan er há.

Burðargetan er há.

Burðargetan er há.

The load capacity is high.

Breakdown of Burðargetan er há.

the load capacity

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Questions & Answers about Burðargetan er há.

Why does burðargetan have -n at the end?

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

burðargeta = load capacity / carrying capacity
burðargetan = the load capacity / the carrying capacity

So the -n here is the definite article attached to the noun.

What is the basic dictionary form of burðargetan?

The dictionary form is burðargeta.

That is the indefinite singular form. In this sentence it appears as burðargetan, which is the definite singular form.

So:

burðargeta = load capacity
burðargetan = the load capacity

What gender is burðargeta?

It is feminine.

You can tell partly from the ending -a, which is very common in feminine nouns, though you should not rely on endings alone in every case. In this sentence, the adjective há also confirms that the noun is feminine, because the adjective agrees with it.

Why is the adjective há and not hár or hátt?

Because Icelandic adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and often case.

Here, burðargetan is:

feminine
singular
nominative

So the adjective hár appears in its feminine singular nominative form:

hár = masculine
há = feminine
hátt = neuter

That is why the sentence says Burðargetan er há.

Why is it há and not háa?

Because há is the normal predicate adjective form here.

After er (is), Icelandic usually uses the adjective predicatively:

Húsið er stórt. = The house is big.
Bókin er góð. = The book is good.
Burðargetan er há. = The load capacity is high.

So há is the correct form after er. A form like háa would be used in different grammatical environments, not in this simple predicate sentence.

What case is burðargetan in?

It is in the nominative case.

That is because it is the subject of the sentence:

Burðargetan = the thing being talked about
er há = is high

In simple X is Y sentences, the subject is normally in the nominative.

What does er mean?

Er means is.

It is a form of the verb vera, which means to be.

A few useful forms are:

ég er = I am
þú ert = you are
hann/hún/það er = he/she/it is

So Burðargetan er há literally follows the same pattern as English: The load capacity is high.

Is the word order normal here?

Yes. This is a very normal and basic Icelandic sentence pattern:

subject + verb + adjective

So:

Burðargetan = subject
er = verb
há = predicate adjective

This is the most straightforward way to say it.

How is burðargeta built as a word?

It is a compound noun.

You can think of it roughly as:

burðar- = relating to carrying or bearing
geta = ability, capacity

So the whole word means something like carrying capacity or load capacity.

Compound words are very common in Icelandic, so getting used to breaking them apart is very helpful.

Can I say Burðargeta er há without the -n?

Yes, but it changes the meaning slightly.

Burðargetan er há. = The load capacity is high.
Burðargeta er há. = Load capacity is high or A load capacity is high depending on context, though this may sound more general or abstract.

If you are talking about one specific item whose capacity has already been identified, burðargetan is the natural choice.

How should I pronounce ð and á in this sentence?

A useful learner-friendly approximation is:

ð is usually like the th in this
á is like ow in now, but longer and clearer

So in burðargetan:

the ð is soft, like voiced th
the á in há is a long vowel

You do not need perfect pronunciation right away, but those two sounds are worth noticing because they occur often in Icelandic.

Does há always mean high?

Not always. Like English high/tall, it depends on context.

The adjective hár / há / hátt can mean:

high for things like level, value, capacity, speed, temperature, etc.
tall for people or objects with height

So in Burðargetan er há, the natural meaning is high, not tall.

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