Brúin er opin.

The bridge is open.

Breakdown of Brúin er opin.

• vera: to be
• opin: open
• brúin: the bridge

Questions & Answers about Brúin er opin.

Why does brúin end with -in instead of using a separate word for “the”?

Icelandic doesn’t have a separate definite article like English the. Instead you attach a suffix to the noun. Here brú (“bridge”) is a feminine noun, and the definite singular ending for many feminine nouns is -in:
• brú → brúin (“the bridge”)

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How do I know that brú is feminine?

You usually check a dictionary, which will list the gender. As a rule of thumb, many Icelandic nouns ending in -u in the nominative singular are feminine. Also, the form of the definite suffix gives a clue:
• Feminine sg def: -in (one “n”)
• Masculine sg def: -inn (two “n”s)

Since brúin has only one “n,” it’s the feminine form.

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Why is the word for “open” here opin, not opinn?

Adjectives in Icelandic agree with the noun’s gender, number and case. This sentence uses opin because:

1. “open” is traditionally opinn in the masculine nominative singular.
2. The feminine nominative singular form is opin.
3. In Brúin er opin, both noun and adjective are nominative singular feminine.

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What are the other gender forms of “open”?

In the strong (basic) declension you get:
• Masculine nominative sg: opinn
• Feminine nominative sg: opin
• Neuter nominative sg: opið
• Plural nominative (all genders): opnir

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When do adjectives take different endings (strong vs. weak forms)?

Icelandic adjectives have two main declension patterns:
• Strong (basic) endings when used predicatively (after vera, virka, etc.), or attributively with an indefinite noun.
• Weak endings when used attributively with a definite noun (one that already carries the article-suffix).

Examples:
• Predicative: Brúin er opin. (strong feminine opin)
• Attributive definite: opna brúin (“the open bridge”; weak feminine opna)

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How would I say “The bridges are open”?

1. “Bridge” in nominative plural indefinite is brýr.
   
   2. Definite plural ending for feminine 1st-declension nouns is -nar: brýrnar.
   3. “are” (3 pl.) = eru.
   4. Adjective “open” in nominative plural = opnar.

Put together:
 Brýrnar eru opnar.
(“The bridges are open.”)

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Can I drop the suffix and say brú er opin?

No—brú without -in is indefinite (“a bridge”), so brú er opin means “a bridge is open.” To say “the bridge is open,” you must use the definite form brúin.

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How do I pronounce Brúin er opin?

Phonetic approximation in IPA:
 /brˠuːɪn ɛr ˈɔːpɪn/

Breakdown:
• ú = [uː] (long “oo”)
• i in brúin = [ɪ] (as in English “bit”)
• e in er = [ɛ] (as in English “bet”)
• o in opin = [ɔː] (as in English “law”)

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How would I form the same pattern with another feminine noun, say “door”?

1. Dictionary gives hurð (feminine).
2. Add feminine sg def -in → hurðin (“the door”).
3. Use predicative adjective opin (fem. nom. sg).

Result:
 Hurðin er opin. ("The door is open.")