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Questions & Answers about Kaffið er kalt.
What does the suffix -ið in kaffið indicate?
The suffix -ið is the definite article for neuter nouns. So kaffið means the coffee, not just “coffee.”
What is the base (indefinite) form of kaffið?
The base form is kaffi, which simply means “coffee” (no “the”).
How do you say “a coffee” in Icelandic?
Icelandic doesn’t have a separate indefinite article. You can say kaffi for coffee in general, or use the numeral eitt for “one”: eitt kaffi (“a coffee”).
Why does kalt end with -t and not -ur or -a?
Adjectives agree in gender (and case/number) with the noun they modify. The full adjective is kaldur (masculine), köld (feminine), kalt (neuter). Since kaffi is neuter, you use kalt.
What is the grammatical gender of kaffi?
Kaffi is a neuter noun in Icelandic.