Rispan er lítil.

to be

Breakdown of Rispan er lítil.

• lítill: small
• rispan: the scratch

Questions & Answers about Rispan er lítil.

What does rispan mean grammatically? Why is there an -n on the end?

Rispan is the noun rispa with the definite article attached.

• rispa = scratch
• rispan = the scratch

In Icelandic, the is often not a separate word like in English. Instead, it is added to the end of the noun as a suffix.

So:

• rispa = a scratch / scratch
• rispan = the scratch

Why does the sentence use lítil and not lítill?

Because the adjective has to agree with the noun.

The noun rispa is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative here

So the adjective must also be in the feminine singular nominative form:

• masculine: lítill
• feminine: lítil
• neuter: lítið

Since rispan is feminine, lítil is the correct form.

What is the role of er in the sentence?

Er means is. It is the present tense singular form of the verb vera (to be).

So the sentence is built like this:

• Rispan = the scratch
• er = is
• lítil = small

Together: The scratch is small.