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Stóllinn er mjúkur og þægilegur.

Stóllinn er mjúkur og þægilegur.
The chair is soft and comfortable.
FromLesson 7inHardcore Icelandic
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Breakdown of Stóllinn er mjúkur og þægilegur.

vera
to be
stóllinn
the chair
þægilegur
comfortable
og
and
mjúkur
soft

Questions & Answers about Stóllinn er mjúkur og þægilegur.

What does stóllinn mean and why does it end with -inn?
Stóllinn breaks down into stóll (chair) + the definite-article suffix -inn, so it means the chair. In Icelandic the definite article isn’t a separate word like the in English but is attached to the end of the noun.
Why is the verb er used here instead of eru?
Er is the 3rd-person singular present tense of vera (to be). Since stóllinn is singular, you use er (“is”). If the subject were plural (e.g. stólar “chairs”), you’d say eru (“are”).
What gender, number, and case is stóllinn in, and how can I tell?

• Gender: masculine
• Number: singular
• Case: nominative

It’s in the nominative because it’s the subject of the sentence. Masculine nouns often end in a consonant when indefinite (e.g. stóll) and take -inn when definite.

Why do both adjectives end in -ur, and how do adjective endings work here?
After the linking verb vera, adjectives are in predicative position and use the strong declension (indefinite) regardless of the noun’s definiteness. For masculine singular nominative the strong ending is -ur, so you get mjúkur and þægilegur.
What’s the difference between mjúkur and þægilegur?

• mjúkur = soft (physically yielding to the touch)
• þægilegur = comfortable (pleasant or easy to sit on)

They’re not exact synonyms—one describes texture/softness, the other describes overall comfort.

How do you pronounce stóllinn er mjúkur og þægilegur?

Approximate phonetic guide:
• stóllinn – [ˈstoʊt-lɪn] (“STOHL-lin”)
• er – [ɛr] (“air”)
• mjúkur – [ˈmjuː-kʏr] (“MYOO-kur”)
• og – [ɔɣ] (“awg,” the g is a soft fricative)
• þægilegur – [ˈθai.jɪ.lɛ.ɡʏr] (“THAI-ye-li-gur,” where þ = unvoiced “th” and æ = the “eye” sound)

Could I reverse the adjectives and say stóllinn er þægilegur og mjúkur?
Yes. Coordinate adjectives linked by og can swap places without changing the meaning. Both remain in the strong masculine singular nominative form because they’re predicative.
How would I make this sentence negative (“The chair is not soft and comfortable”)?

Place ekki (not) after the verb:
• Stóllinn er ekki mjúkur og þægilegur.

If you want “neither soft nor comfortable,” use the correlative pair hvorki... né:
• Stóllinn er hvorki mjúkur né þægilegur.

How do I turn this into a question (“Is the chair soft and comfortable?”)?

Invert verb and subject to form a yes/no question:
• Er stóllinn mjúkur og þægilegur?
In Icelandic, most yes/no questions start with the verb.

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