Bókasafnið er opið og hlýtt.

to be

Breakdown of Bókasafnið er opið og hlýtt.

• opinn: open
• og: and
• bókasafnið: the library

Questions & Answers about Bókasafnið er opið og hlýtt.

Why is the definite article attached to bókasafnið instead of a separate word like the?

In Icelandic, the definite article is not a separate word but a suffix added to the noun.

• bókasafn = “library” (indefinite)
• -ið = definite article for neuter singular
  So bókasafnið literally means “the library.”

What gender is bókasafn, and how can I tell?

Bókasafn is a neuter noun. You can often tell gender: many nouns ending in -n from a base ending in a consonant (like safn) are neuter. Also, the definite singular ending -ið signals neuter gender; masculine would be -inn and feminine -in(n).

What case is bókasafnið in?

It’s in the nominative case because it functions as the subject of the sentence (it “does” the being-open-and-warm).

Why are opið and hlýtt ending in -t, and why don’t they appear in their dictionary forms opinn and hlýr?

Adjectives in Icelandic agree with the noun in gender, number, and . In this sentence: