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Questions & Answers about Bróðirinn er sterkur.
Why does bróðirinn end with -inn instead of using a separate word like “the”?
In Icelandic the definite article is suffixed to the noun rather than being a separate word. For masculine nouns in the nominative singular you add -inn.
- bróðir = “brother” (indefinite)
- bróðirinn = “the brother” (definite)
Why is the adjective sterkur not sterkurinn when it follows er?
Adjectives used predicatively (i.e. after a form of vera “to be”) stay in their base (indefinite) form but still agree in gender, number, and case. They never take the definite suffix. Hence:
- Bróðirinn er sterkur. “The brother is strong.”
What gender, number, and case are bróðirinn and sterkur in this sentence?
Both are masculine nominative singular.
- Bróðirinn (subject of the verb) → masc. nom. sg.
- sterkur (predicative adjective) → masc. nom. sg., agreeing with the noun
How would you say “The sister is strong” in Icelandic?
Use the feminine forms:
- systir = “sister” (fem.)
- Definite suffix for fem. nom. sg. is -in, and the fem. adj. ending is -k.
So: Systirin er sterk.
How do you make the sentence negative (“The brother is not strong”)?
Insert ekki (“not”) immediately after the verb:
Bróðirinn er ekki sterkur.
How do you form the question “Is the brother strong?”
Invert the verb and the subject:
Er bróðirinn sterkur?
How do you pronounce Bróðirinn er sterkur?
Approximate English respelling:
- Bróðirinn = “BROH-thir-in”
• ó = long “o” (like “go”), ð = soft “th” as in “this”, double nn slightly lengthened - er = “air” (like English “air”)
- sterkur = “STEHR-kur”
• e = “e” in “met”, u ≈ German “ü” (or “u” in “push”), stress on first syllable