Borðið er hvítt.

to be

Breakdown of Borðið er hvítt.

• borðið: the table
• hvítur: white

Questions & Answers about Borðið er hvítt.

What does "borðið" mean, and why is the definite article attached to the noun?

"Borðið" translates as "the table" in English. In Icelandic, the definite article isn’t a separate word; instead, it appears as a suffix attached to the noun (here, -ið), which marks the noun as definite.

Why is the adjective "hvítt" spelled with the ending -t?

The ending -t in "hvítt" signals that it is in the neuter singular form. In Icelandic, adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the nouns they describe. Since "borðið" is a neuter singular noun, the adjective takes the neuter singular ending.

What role does the word "er" play in the sentence?

"Er" is the present tense, third person singular form of the verb "að vera" (to be). It functions as the linking verb that connects the subject ("borðið") with the predicate adjective ("hvítt").

How does the structure of "Borðið er hvítt" compare to the structure of an English sentence like "The table is white"?

The structure is quite similar: both follow a subject-verb-complement (predicate adjective) pattern. However, a key difference is that in Icelandic the definite article is integrated into the noun as a suffix and adjectives change their endings to agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case.

Are there specific rules for forming the definite noun in Icelandic, and how does that apply to "borðið"?

Yes, Icelandic forms definite nouns by adding a suffix to the base form of the noun. For neuter nouns such as "borð," the definite ending is typically "-ið." This process eliminates the need for a separate word equivalent to the English "the."