Vinurinn er góður.

to be

Breakdown of Vinurinn er góður.

• góður: good
• vinurinn: the friend

Questions & Answers about Vinurinn er góður.

Why does vinurinn have “-inn” appended instead of a separate word for “the” in Icelandic?

In Icelandic, the definite article is formed by adding a suffix to the noun. For masculine singular nouns like vinur (friend), you add -inn to create vinurinn (the friend). This is how Icelandic expresses “the” rather than using a separate word.

Why is er used here, and what form of the verb “to be” is it?

Er is the present tense, third-person singular form of the verb vera (to be). In this sentence, it corresponds directly to “is” in English.

What is the gender of vinur, and how does it affect the adjective góður?

Vinur is a masculine noun. In Icelandic, adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe. Since vinur is masculine and singular, the adjective góður is also in masculine singular form.

Why does góður end in “-ur” instead of another ending?

Masculine singular nominative adjectives in Icelandic often have the ending -ur (as in góður). If the noun were feminine or neuter, the adjective would have different endings.

Can I change the word order, for example, say: Er vinurinn góður?

Yes, you can switch the order to form a question. Er vinurinn góður? means “Is the friend good?” But for a normal declarative sentence, the subject typically comes before the verb in Icelandic, just as in English.