Raftækið er bilað.

The electrical device is broken.

Breakdown of Raftækið er bilað.

• vera: to be
• bilaður: broken
• raftækið: the electrical device

Questions & Answers about Raftækið er bilað.

What is raftækið made up of?

It is a compound noun:

• raf- = electrical, electric
• tæki = device, appliance, piece of equipment
• -ið = the

So raftækið means the electrical device or the appliance.

The first part raf- is related to rafmagn, meaning electricity.

Why is the attached to the end of the noun?

In Icelandic, the definite article is very often added as a suffix instead of being a separate word.

So:

• raftæki = an electrical device / electrical device
• raftækið = the electrical device

That final -ið is the neuter singular definite ending here.

What does er mean?

Er is the present tense of að vera, meaning to be.

In this sentence, it means is:

• Raftækið er bilað = The electrical device is broken / not working

It is the 3rd person singular form, used with he, she, or it.