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Questions & Answers about Vinurinn okkar er góður.
What is vinurinn, and how does it differ from vinur?
vinurinn is the definite form of vinur. In Icelandic the definite article is a suffix:
- vinur = “a friend”
- vinurinn = “the friend”
Why is okkar placed after vinurinn, and why do we use okkar instead of vár or another form?
When a noun is definite (it has the –inn suffix), the possessive pronoun follows the noun. okkar is the genitive form of við (“we”), meaning “our.” The form vár exists only in older or poetic Icelandic and isn’t used in modern speech or writing.
Why is okkar in the genitive case?
Icelandic indicates possession by putting the possessor in the genitive. After a definite noun like vinurinn, you must use the genitive possessive pronoun, hence vinurinn okkar (“the friend of us”).
How does the adjective góður agree with vinurinn okkar, and why is it placed after er?
Because góður is a predicate adjective, it follows the copula er (“is”). Icelandic adjectives must match the gender, number and case of the noun they describe. vinurinn is masculine singular nominative, so góður is in the strong masculine singular nominative form.
Could you say vinur okkar er góður instead? What is the difference?
Yes.
- vinur okkar er góður = “a friend of ours is good” (indefinite; one among several friends)
- vinurinn okkar er góður = “our friend is good” (definite; a specific, known friend)
How would you say “our friends are good” in Icelandic?
vinir okkar eru góðir
• vinir = plural nominative of vinur
• okkar = genitive “our”
• eru = 3rd-person plural of vera (“to be”)
• góðir = masculine plural nominative of góður
What form of góður would you use if you put it before the noun, for example in góði vinurinn okkar?
Attributive adjectives before a definite noun take the weak inflection. For masculine singular nominative, góður becomes góði.
So góði vinurinn okkar also means “our good friend.”