Word
Rispan er lítil.
Meaning
The scratch is small.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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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?