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Questions & Answers about Veitingastaðurinn er líflegur.
How is veitingastaðurinn formed and what are its parts?
Veitingastaðurinn is a compound made of three elements:
• veitinga- (“serving” or “catering,” from the verb veita, “to serve,” plus the noun-forming -ing)
• staður (“place”)
• -inn (the definite article suffix for masculine singular nominative, “the”)
Why doesn’t Icelandic use a separate word for “the” here?
Icelandic marks definiteness with a suffix on the noun rather than an independent word. For masculine singular nouns in the nominative case, that suffix is -inn (as in veitingastaðurinn).
What gender and case is veitingastaðurinn, and how do I know?
It’s masculine and in the nominative case.
• Masculine nouns often end in -ur in the indefinite form (here veitingastaður).
• It’s nominative because it functions as the subject of the verb er.
What is er, and how is it used?
er is the 3rd-person singular present tense of vera (“to be”). It works like English is, linking the subject (veitingastaðurinn) to the predicate adjective (líflegur).
Why does the adjective líflegur end in -ur here?
Because it’s a predicate adjective describing a masculine singular noun. Predicative adjectives take the strong nominative singular form; for masculine adjectives, that typically ends in -ur.
If I want to say “the lively restaurant” with the adjective before the noun, what form do I use?
When an adjective modifies a definite noun (attributive use), you use the weak form. So you’d say líflegi veitingastaðurinn (note the -i on líflegi).
How would I say “a lively restaurant” (indefinite)?
With an indefinite noun and an attributive adjective, use the strong form and drop the definite suffix: líflegur veitingastaður.
Why is there an -a- between veiting and staður?
That -a- is a linking vowel (samskeytisliður) used in many Icelandic compounds to join two roots smoothly.
How do I pronounce veitingastaðurinn?
Approximate IPA: [ˈveiː.tɪŋ.kaˌstaː.ðʏrtn̥]
• vei like English “vay”
• ngk is [ŋk], not [ŋg]
• ð is [ð], like “th” in “this”
• Stress is always on the first syllable
How do I pronounce líflegur?
Approximate IPA: [ˈliːv.lɛ.ɣʏr]
• í = long “ee”
• f + l merges to [vl]
• g here is a voiced fricative [ɣ]
• Stress on the first syllable (LÍF)
Can I use lifandi instead of líflegur to mean “lively”?
No. lifandi means “alive” or “living” (e.g. lifandi fiskur = “live fish”). To describe a busy, animated place, use líflegur (“lively, spirited”).