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Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Kvöldið er gott. - The evening is good.

Hardcore Icelandic
/Lesson 3
/Kvöldið er gott.

Kvöldið er gott.

Word

Kvöldið er gott.

Meaning

The evening is good.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Icelandic

Lesson

Breakdown of Kvöldið er gott.

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Questions & Answers about Kvöldið er gott.

Why is it Kvöldið and not Kvöld or Kvöldi?

Kvöldið is kvöld (evening) with the definite article attached as a suffix:

kvöld = an evening / evening (indefinite)
kvöldið = the evening (definite)

In Icelandic, the definite article is usually not a separate word like English the; it’s typically added to the end of the noun.

What does the ending -ið mean exactly?

-ið is the nominative singular definite ending for many neuter nouns.
Here, kvöld is a neuter noun, so the evening becomes kvöld + ið → kvöldið.

How do I know the gender of kvöld, and why does it matter here?

You usually learn gender with the noun (dictionary entries mark it, or you memorize it). It matters because gender controls forms like:

the definite ending on the noun (-ið for many neuters)
the adjective agreement (gott is neuter here)

So kvöld being neuter is why you get kvöldið and gott.

Why is the adjective gott and not góður or góð?

Adjectives in Icelandic must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.
Kvöldið is:

neuter
singular
nominative (it’s the subject)

So the adjective takes the matching form:

masculine nominative sg: góður
feminine nominative sg: góð
neuter nominative sg: gott ✅

Is gott the “normal” form of the adjective, or is it changed because of grammar?

It’s a declined form (a grammatical form) of the adjective góður (good). Icelandic adjectives change form depending on what they describe. Gott is the neuter nominative singular form (also used in some other neuter contexts).

Why is the verb er used here?

er is the present tense of vera (to be). It’s used like English is for equational/descriptive sentences:

Kvöldið er gott. = The evening is good.

Does the word order have to be Kvöldið er gott?

This is the most neutral word order: Subject – Verb – Complement. Icelandic word order is flexible, but changes can add emphasis or follow specific rules (especially in questions or when something else is placed first). As a simple statement, Kvöldið er gott is the standard.

Could I also say Gott kvöld? Is it the same?

Not the same. Gott kvöld is a common phrase meaning Good evening (a greeting).
Kvöldið er gott is a full sentence meaning The evening is good (a statement about how the evening is).

What case is Kvöldið, and how can I tell?

It’s nominative, because it’s the subject of the sentence. With vera (to be), the subject is nominative, and the adjective/predicate typically also matches that nominative agreement.

Why isn’t there a separate word for the?

Because Icelandic commonly uses a suffix definite article:

kvöld = evening
kvöldið = the evening

A separate article word exists in some special constructions, but the attached ending is the default pattern.

Is this using the “weak” or “strong” adjective form, and does it matter?

This is the strong form: gott. In Icelandic, adjectives have:

strong forms (often when the noun is not preceded by a separate determiner)
weak forms (commonly when there’s an explicit determiner like þessi this, hinn, etc.)

Even though the noun is definite (-ið), Icelandic still commonly uses the strong form in sentences like this:

Kvöldið er gott. (strong)

You will see weak forms in other definite contexts, but the strong form here is normal and idiomatic.

How would this look without the definite meaning?

You’d remove the definite suffix:

Kvöld er gott. = An evening is good / Evening is good (depending on context)

In practice, Icelandic often prefers more natural phrasing depending on meaning, but grammatically that’s the indefinite version.

How would I say “The evening is good” about a specific evening vs. “Evenings are good” in general?

This sentence is about a specific evening:

Kvöldið er gott. = The evening is good.

A general statement would usually use the plural or a different generic construction, e.g.:

Kvöld eru góð. = Evenings are good. (plural; adjective agrees: góð is neuter plural nominative)

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