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Questions & Answers about Glugginn er opinn.
Why does glugginn end with -inn?
In Icelandic, definiteness is marked by a suffix rather than a separate word. For masculine nouns, you add -inn to the base form.
• gluggi = “window” (indefinite)
• glugginn = “the window” (definite)
Why isn’t there an article like a or the before glugginn?
Icelandic does not use separate articles. Indefiniteness is just the bare noun (gluggi = “a window”), and definiteness is shown by adding a suffix (glugginn = “the window”).
Why is the adjective opinn and not opin or opið?
Adjectives in Icelandic agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe. Here glugginn is masculine singular nominative, so you use the masculine form opinn.
• Feminine: opin (e.g. hurðin er opin – “the door is open”)
• Neuter: opið (e.g. gluggið er opið – “the window is open”)
Why isn’t opinn changed to a definite form (like opni) since glugginn is definite?