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Þessi flík er mjúk og hlý.

Þessi flík er mjúk og hlý.
This garment is soft and warm.
FromLesson 8inHardcore Icelandic

Breakdown of Þessi flík er mjúk og hlý.

vera
to be
þessi
this
og
and
hlýr
warm
mjúkur
soft
flíkin
the garment

Questions & Answers about Þessi flík er mjúk og hlý.

Why is there no article like the before flík?
Icelandic doesn’t use a separate word for “the.” Definiteness is shown either by adding a suffix to the noun (e.g. flíkin = “the garment”) or by using a demonstrative like þessi (“this”). Since þessi already makes it definite, you don’t add another “the.”
What is þessi, and why does it look like that?
þessi is a demonstrative adjective meaning “this.” Like other adjectives, it must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it modifies. Here flík is feminine singular nominative, so þessi appears in its feminine singular nominative form.
Why do the adjectives mjúk and hlý have no endings like -ur or -ar?

Icelandic adjectives have strong and weak declension patterns. Without a preceding weak marker (like a definite suffix), they follow the strong declension. In the strong nominative:
• Masculine singular is mjúkur, hlýr
• Feminine singular drops the masculine ending to give mjúk, hlý
• Neuter singular would be mjúkt, hlýtt

Why are mjúk and hlý both in the nominative case?
After the copular verb er (“is”), any predicate adjective takes the same case as the subject. Since þessi flík is nominative feminine singular, mjúk and hlý also appear in the nominative feminine singular to agree with it.
What does og mean, and do I need a comma before it?
og means “and.” When joining just two adjectives (or two words) you don’t use a comma before og in Icelandic. Commas appear only in longer lists or between independent clauses.
How do you pronounce Þessi flík er mjúk og hlý?

• Þ is like the “th” in English think ([θ]) → Þessi [ˈθɛsːɪ]
• flík [fliːk] (long í is like “ee”)
• er [ɛr] (like “air” without the diphthong)
• mjúk [mjuːk] (the jú sounds a bit like “you” but shorter)
• og [ɔɡ] (like “og” in “ogg”)
• hlý [hliː] (the cluster hl is voiceless, ý is a long “ee”)

Can I say Flíkin er mjúk og hlý instead?
Yes. Adding the definite suffix -in to flík gives flíkin (“the garment”). Then Flíkin er mjúk og hlý also means “The garment is soft and warm,” and you’d use that if the garment is already known or previously mentioned.
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