Súpan er köld.

to be

Breakdown of Súpan er köld.

• súpan: the soup
• köld: cold

Questions & Answers about Súpan er köld.

What is the lemma (dictionary form) of súpan, and how is definiteness marked in Icelandic?

The lemma is súpa (“soup”). Icelandic marks the definite article by adding a suffix to the noun. Here, -n is attached to súpa, giving súpan = “the soup.”

What case, number and gender is súpan in?

Súpan is in the nominative case (because it’s the subject), singular number, and feminine gender. The -n ending also tells you it’s definite.

Why does the adjective kaldur change to köld in this sentence?

Adjectives in Icelandic must agree with their nouns in gender, number and case. Here:
• kaldur is the masculine lemma “cold.”
• As a predicate adjective describing a feminine noun (súpa), it takes the feminine nominative singular form: köld.
• The vowel change a → ö is due to a regular historical sound change (i-umlaut) in the feminine form.

Why isn’t köld marked for definiteness with an extra ending?

Predicate adjectives (those linked by er “is”) use one simple form that agrees in gender/number/case but do not carry a separate definite ending. Only attributive adjectives (those placed directly before a noun) have both a “strong” (indefinite) and “weak” (definite) inflection.