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Questions & Answers about Hádegið er heitt.
What does the -ið on hádegið mean? Why not just hádegi?
In Icelandic the definite article attaches to the end of the noun. For neuter singular nouns that ending is -ið.
- hádegi = “midday” (indefinite)
- hádegið = “the midday” (definite)
We use the definite form when talking about a general concept (“Midday is hot”), even though English often drops “the.”
Why does the adjective come out as heitt (with “-tt”)?
Adjectives agree with the noun’s gender and number. Hádegið is a neuter singular noun, so the predicate adjective heitur (“hot”) takes its neuter nominative singular form heitt.
Why doesn’t heitt have a definite ending (like heitta)?
Adjectives in predicative position (after vera “to be”) remain in their basic form and do not take the definite article ending. Only attributive adjectives (those directly before a noun) can get an extra ending.
If I want to say “It’s hot at midday,” why can’t I just say Hádegið er heitt?
Hádegið er heitt literally means “The midday is hot.” To express “It’s hot at midday” in Icelandic you use an impersonal construction with um + accusative for time:
- Það er heitt um hádeginn.Here is the dummy “it,” is “is,” and means “around/at midday.”