Konan málar þakið rautt.

the woman

Breakdown of Konan málar þakið rautt.

• mála: to paint
• þakið: the roof
• rautt: red

Questions & Answers about Konan málar þakið rautt.

How is the definite article expressed in konan, and what does the -an ending mean?

Icelandic doesn’t use a separate word for “the.” Instead, it attaches a suffix to the noun. The base form is kona (“woman”). For feminine singular definite you add -n (after a vowel this appears as -an), so konan = “the woman.”

Why does þakið end in -ið, and is that suffix both an article and a case marker?

Yes. þak (“roof”) is a neuter noun. In neuter singular, the definite article is the suffix -ið, so þakið = “the roof.” That same suffix also indicates the nominative/accusative ending; neuter singular has identical forms for those two cases.

What case is þakið in here, and how do you know it’s the direct object?

It’s in the accusative case because it’s the direct object of the verb málar (“paints”). In neuter singular the nominative and accusative look identical, so you identify the case by the noun’s role in the sentence rather than by a different ending.

Why does rautt end in -t? How do Icelandic adjectives get their endings?

Adjectives in Icelandic agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case. Here þakið is neuter singular, and rautt is used predicatively (after a verb), so it takes the strong neuter singular ending -t. (Strong inflection for “red” is (masc), (fem), (neut).)