Breakdown of Gámasvæðið er við grenndarstöðina.
vera
to be
við
by
grenndarstöðin
the neighborhood recycling point
gámasvæðið
the container area
Questions & Answers about Gámasvæðið er við grenndarstöðina.
What does the -ið at the end of Gámasvæðið mean?
It is the suffixed definite article, so Gámasvæðið means the container area rather than just container area.
A useful breakdown is:
- gámasvæði = container area
- gámasvæðið = the container area
In Icelandic, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like the in English.
Why is gámasvæði written as one long word?
Because Icelandic uses compound nouns very freely, much like German.
So gámasvæði is made from:
- gáma- = of containers
- svæði = area
Literally, it is something like area of containers, but in natural English that becomes container area.
In Icelandic, compounds like this are normally written as one word, not two.
What is gáma- exactly? Is it a plural?