Maturinn er íslenskur.

to be

Breakdown of Maturinn er íslenskur.

• maturinn: the food
• íslenskur: Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Maturinn er íslenskur.

What does Maturinn mean and why is the article attached to the noun?

Matur means “food.” In Icelandic you form “the food” by adding the definite article as a suffix: -inn. So Maturinn = “the food.”

What role does er play in the sentence?

Er is the 3rd person singular present of vera (to be). It functions just like English is, linking the subject (Maturinn) to the predicate adjective (íslenskur).

Why is the adjective íslenskur in that form, even though Maturinn is definite?

Because íslenskur is a predicate adjective (it comes after the copula er). Predicate adjectives in Icelandic always use the strong declension. The strong masculine nominative singular form is íslenskur, regardless of the noun’s definiteness.

What’s the difference between saying íslenskur matur and íslenski maturinn?

• íslenskur matur = “Icelandic food” (indefinite noun; strong adjective)
• íslenski maturinn = “the Icelandic food” (definite noun; weak adjective)
When an adjective modifies a definite noun directly (attributively), it takes the weak form (íslenski).

How do you ask “Is the food Icelandic?” in Icelandic?

Invert verb and subject, just like in English questions:
Er maturinn íslenskur?

How would you say “The food is not Icelandic”?

Place ekki (“not”) right after the verb:
Maturinn er ekki íslenskur.

What if I want to talk about food in general, without “the”?

Use the noun in its indefinite form (no article):
Matur er íslenskur.
This is grammatical, though speakers often rephrase or use the plural to sound more natural.

How would you express the same idea in the plural (“the foods are Icelandic”)?

• Maturarnir = “the foods” (definite plural of matur)
• eru = “are” (3rd-person plural of vera)
• íslenskir = strong masculine nominative plural of íslenskur
Put together: Maturarnir eru íslenskir.

What are the other strong forms of íslenskur for different genders and numbers?

Strong nominative singular:
• Masculine: íslenskur
• Feminine: íslensk
• Neuter: íslenskt
Strong nominative plural:
• Masculine: íslenskir
• Feminine: íslenskar
• Neuter: íslensk