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Questions & Answers about Símtalið er gott.
What does the word símtalið mean, and how does its form indicate that it is definite?
Símtalið means "the phone call". The base noun is símtal (meaning "call"), and the addition of the suffix -ið marks it as definite. In Icelandic, instead of placing a separate article before the noun, a suffix is attached to indicate definiteness.
Why is the adjective gott in its neuter form in this sentence?
In Icelandic, adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. Since símtal is a neuter noun, the adjective takes its neuter form gott. If the noun were masculine or feminine, the adjective would appear as góður or góð, respectively.
What role does the verb er play in the sentence Símtalið er gott?
Er is the present tense form of the verb vera ("to be"). It functions as a linking verb, connecting the subject símtalið with the predicate adjective gott, much like the English verb "is" in the sentence "The phone call is good."
How is the definite article expressed in Icelandic as seen in símtalið?
Instead of using a separate word for "the" as in English, Icelandic attaches a definite article to the noun as a suffix. In the case of símtal, adding -ið produces símtalið, indicating that it is a specific, definite phone call. This method is common for neuter nouns in Icelandic.
How would you modify the sentence to express the past tense, for example, "The phone call was good"?
To shift the sentence to the past tense, replace the present tense verb er with the past tense form var. The sentence becomes Símtalið var gott. The adjective remains gott because the noun keeps its neuter gender even in the past tense.
If the subject were a feminine noun instead, how might the adjective and definite form change?
For feminine nouns, Icelandic uses different endings for both the definite form and the adjective. For example, if there were a feminine noun like símtala (hypothetically), its definite form might be símtalan, and the adjective would change to the feminine form, góð. So the sentence would be Símtalan er góð.