Breakdown of Álagningarseðillinn er í skjalinu.
vera
to be
í
in
skjalið
the document
álagningarseðillinn
the tax assessment notice
Questions & Answers about Álagningarseðillinn er í skjalinu.
What does Álagningarseðillinn break down into?
It is a compound noun plus the definite article:
- álagning = assessment, levy, imposition
- seðill = slip, note, form, notice
- -inn = the (masculine nominative singular definite article)
So álagningarseðillinn literally means something like the assessment notice/slip.
A very important Icelandic pattern is that compounds are extremely common, and the last part is the main noun. That last part usually determines the word’s gender and how it inflects.
Why is the attached to the end of Álagningarseðillinn instead of being a separate word?
In Icelandic, the definite article is often a suffix attached to the noun, rather than a separate word like English the.
So:
- seðill = a slip / notice
- seðillinn = the slip / notice
In the full compound:
- álagningarseðill = assessment notice
- álagningarseðillinn = the assessment notice
This is one of the most basic differences from English. Icelandic does have separate demonstratives like þessi (this), but the ordinary definite article is usually attached to the noun.
Why does end in ?