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Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Farmrýmið er tómt. - The cargo compartment is empty.

Hardcore Icelandic
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/Farmrýmið er tómt.

Farmrýmið er tómt.

Farmrýmið er tómt.

The cargo compartment is empty.

Breakdown of Farmrýmið er tómt.

the cargo compartment

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Questions & Answers about Farmrýmið er tómt.

Why does farmrýmið end in -ið?

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

farmrými = cargo space / luggage compartment / storage area
farmrýmið = the cargo space

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

What is farmrými made up of?

It is a compound noun:

farm- = related to cargo, load, luggage
rými = space, room, compartment

So farmrými literally means something like cargo-space or storage compartment.

A very useful Icelandic rule is that in compound nouns, the last part usually determines the grammatical gender. Since rými is neuter, farmrými is neuter too.

What gender is farmrýmið, and why does that matter?

It is neuter singular.

That matters because adjectives in Icelandic must agree with the noun in:

gender
number
often case

So the adjective has to match farmrýmið, and that is why you get tómt.

Why is it tómt and not tómur or tóm?

Because tómt is the neuter singular form of the adjective tómur (empty).

The basic forms are:

tómur = masculine
tóm = feminine
tómt = neuter

Since farmrýmið is neuter singular, the matching form is tómt.

Why isn’t the adjective a weak form, since the noun is definite?

This is a very common question.

Even though farmrýmið means the cargo space, the adjective here is a predicate adjective because it comes after er (is):

Farmrýmið er tómt. = The cargo space is empty.

Predicate adjectives normally use the strong form in Icelandic, not the weak attributive form.

Compare:

hið tóma farmrými / tóma farmrýmið = the empty cargo space
- adjective is directly attached to the noun
Farmrýmið er tómt. = The cargo space is empty.
- adjective comes after er, so it is predicate and appears as tómt

What does er mean here?

Er is the present tense of vera (to be).

In this sentence, it means is.

So:

vera = to be
er = is / am / are depending on context

Here it is specifically is because the subject is singular.

What case is farmrýmið in?

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

In a sentence like this:

Farmrýmið = subject
er = verb
tómt = predicate adjective

The adjective also matches in case, so tómt is nominative as well.

Is the word order unusual?

No, this is a very straightforward sentence.

It follows the pattern:

Subject + verb + adjective/complement

So:

Farmrýmið = subject
er = verb
tómt = complement

That is very similar to English: The cargo space is empty.

Could I say Farmrými er tómt without -ið?

Yes, but the meaning changes.

Farmrýmið er tómt. = The cargo space is empty.
You mean a specific, known cargo space.
Farmrými er tómt. = A cargo space is empty / Cargo space is empty.
This is more indefinite or generic, and often less natural unless the context really calls for it.

In most everyday situations, if you are talking about a particular vehicle or compartment, farmrýmið is the natural choice.

How do I pronounce Farmrýmið er tómt?

A rough English-friendly guide is:

FARM-ree-mith er tohmt

A few pronunciation notes:

Stress is usually on the first syllable: FARM-...
ý sounds like ee
ð is like the th in this
tómt has a long ó, roughly like oh

So rýmið sounds roughly like REE-mith.

If I wanted to put empty before the noun, would it still be tómt?

No. If the adjective comes directly before the noun, the form changes.

Compare:

Farmrýmið er tómt. = The cargo space is empty.
tóma farmrýmið = the empty cargo space

So Icelandic makes a difference between:

predicate adjective
- after er
- tómt
attributive adjective
- directly before the noun
- tóma here

That is an important pattern to notice in Icelandic grammar.

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