Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Veðrið er kalt.

Veðrið means "the weather". In Icelandic, definite articles are attached to the end of the noun as a suffix rather than being separate words. Here, the base noun is veður (meaning "weather") and the -ið ending indicates that it is definite, so veðrið translates to "the weather".

What is the function of er in this sentence?

Er is the present tense form of the verb vera, which means "to be". In this sentence, it acts as a linking verb—essentially the English "is"—connecting the subject veðrið with the predicate adjective kalt.

Why is the adjective kalt used in this form, and how does it agree with the subject?

The adjective kalt means "cold" and serves as the predicate adjective describing veðrið. Icelandic adjectives agree with the noun they describe in gender and number. Since veðrið is a neuter singular noun, kalt appears in its neuter singular form. In predicate positions (after a linking verb like er), adjectives typically use their base form that reflects the subject’s properties.

What is the word order of the sentence, and how does it reflect Icelandic sentence structure?

The sentence follows a subject–verb–complement order: veðrið (subject), er (verb), kalt (complement). This aligns with Icelandic’s V2 (verb-second) word order in simple declarative sentences, where the verb consistently occupies the second position.

How does Icelandic handle the definite article differently from English in this sentence?

Unlike English, where the definite article "the" is a separate word placed before the noun, Icelandic attaches the definite article directly to the noun as a suffix. That’s why veður becomes veðrið—the -ið signals that the noun is definite, meaning "the weather".