Breakdown of Strætó er uppáhalds farartækið mitt.
vera
to be
strætó
the bus
uppáhalds
favorite
farartæki
the vehicle
mitt
my
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Questions & Answers about Strætó er uppáhalds farartækið mitt.
What is the overall structure of the sentence "Strætó er uppáhalds farartækið mitt"?
The sentence follows a Subject–Verb–Predicate structure. "Strætó" is the subject, "er" is the linking verb (equivalent to "is" in English), and "uppáhalds farartækið mitt" serves as the predicate nominative describing the subject. This construction is common in Icelandic equational sentences.
Why is the possessive adjective "mitt" used instead of forms like "minn" or "mín"?
In Icelandic, possessive adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and definiteness. The noun "farartæki" is neuter; therefore, the correct form for "my" is "mitt." For masculine nouns, one would use "minn," and for feminine nouns, "mín."
What does the suffix “-ið” at the end of "farartækið" indicate?
The suffix “-ið” is the definite article for neuter singular nouns in Icelandic. Instead of a separate word for "the," Icelandic adds a suffix to the noun. Thus, "farartæki" becomes "farartækið," indicating that it is in its definite form—comparable to saying "the mode of transportation" in English.
How does the adjective "uppáhalds" agree with the noun "farartæki" in this sentence?
Icelandic adjectives must match the noun they modify in gender, number, and whether the noun is definite or indefinite. Since "farartæki" is a neuter singular noun in its definite form (as shown by the suffix “-ið”), the adjective "uppáhalds" takes on the appropriate weak inflection to agree with it. This agreement is key to proper adjective use in Icelandic.
Why is "Strætó" capitalized, and does it have any special role in the sentence?
"Strætó" is capitalized because it is a proper noun—the name of Iceland’s public bus system. As a proper noun, it uniquely identifies a specific service and does not require an added article, similar to how brand names are treated in English.