Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Nóttin virðist eilíf. - The night seems eternal.

Hardcore Icelandic
/Completing an individual tax return
/Nóttin virðist eilíf.

Nóttin virðist eilíf.

Word

Nóttin virðist eilíf.

Meaning

The night seems eternal.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Icelandic

Lesson

Completing an individual tax return

Breakdown of Nóttin virðist eilíf.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Icelandic now

Questions & Answers about Nóttin virðist eilíf.

Why is it nóttin and not just nótt?

Nóttin means the night. The ending -in is the definite article attached to the noun.

So:

nótt = night
nóttin = the night

This is very common in Icelandic: instead of using a separate word like English the, Icelandic often adds the article to the end of the noun.

What is the dictionary form of nóttin?

The dictionary form is nótt.

That is the indefinite singular nominative form, which is the form you usually look up in a dictionary.
In the sentence, it appears as nóttin because it is:

singular
nominative
definite (the night)

Why is nóttin in the nominative case?

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

In Nóttin virðist eilíf, the thing that seems something is the night, so nóttin is the subject. Subjects are normally in the nominative in Icelandic.

What does virðist come from?

Virðist comes from the verb virðast, which means to seem.

Here, virðist is the 3rd person singular present tense form, used with a singular subject like nóttin.

So:

ég virðist would not be correct
hún virðist = she seems
nóttin virðist = the night seems

A useful thing to remember is that virðast is often followed by an adjective describing how something seems.

Why is the adjective eilíf and not eilífa or some other form?

The adjective has to agree with the noun it describes.

Here, eilíf matches nóttin, which is:

feminine
singular
nominative

So the adjective also appears in the feminine singular nominative form: eilíf.

This kind of agreement is very important in Icelandic. Adjectives change form depending on:

gender
number
case
sometimes definiteness/declension pattern

Why isn’t there a separate word for is in this sentence?

Because the sentence uses virðist = seems, not er = is.

English says The night seems eternal, and Icelandic does the same structure:

Nóttin = the night
virðist = seems
eilíf = eternal

So there is no need for a separate is. The verb virðist already functions as the main verb of the sentence.

Is eilíf describing the noun directly, or is it acting like a predicate adjective?

It is acting like a predicate adjective.

That means it is not sitting directly before the noun like the eternal night. Instead, it comes after the verb and describes the subject through the verb:

Nóttin er eilíf = The night is eternal
Nóttin virðist eilíf = The night seems eternal

So eilíf is linked to nóttin through virðist.

Could the word order be changed?

Yes, but the basic neutral order here is:

Subject + Verb + Adjective
Nóttin virðist eilíf

Icelandic does allow other word orders in some contexts, especially for emphasis or in subordinate clauses, but this is the most straightforward and natural order for a simple statement.

Because Icelandic is a case language, word order can sometimes be more flexible than in English, but that does not mean every rearrangement sounds equally natural.

How would this sentence look in the plural?

It would be:

Næturnar virðast eilífar. = The nights seem eternal.

Changes:

nóttin → næturnar (the nights)
virðist → virðast because the subject is now plural
eilíf → eilífar to agree with a feminine plural nominative noun

This is a good example of how both the verb and adjective can change when the subject changes.

How is nóttin pronounced, especially the tt?

A learner may notice that Icelandic spelling and pronunciation do not always match English expectations.

In nóttin:

ó is a long vowel, roughly like o in English go, though not exactly the same
tt in Icelandic is often pronounced with pre-aspiration, something like a brief h sound before the t
the ending -in is the attached definite article

So nóttin does not sound exactly how an English speaker might guess from the spelling. The tt is one of the parts learners usually need to hear from native audio to get right.

Can I say Nótt virðist eilíf without the article?

Yes, but it changes the feel of the sentence.

Nóttin virðist eilíf = The night seems eternal
Nótt virðist eilíf = Night seems eternal or A night seems eternal, depending on context

Without the article, it sounds more general, poetic, or less specifically tied to one particular night.
With -in, it clearly refers to the night, a definite one.

Is eilífur the dictionary form of the adjective?

Yes. The dictionary form is usually the masculine singular nominative form:

eilífur = dictionary form
eilíf = feminine singular nominative
eilíft = neuter singular nominative/accusative

So in this sentence you see eilíf because it agrees with the feminine noun nóttin, but if you looked the adjective up, you would usually find it under eilífur.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io