Breakdown of Augnablikið er stutt en fyllir hjarta mitt af hamingju.
vera
to be
mitt
my
en
but
af
of
stutt
short
hjartað
the heart
hamingjan
the happiness
augnablikið
the moment
fylla
to fill
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Questions & Answers about Augnablikið er stutt en fyllir hjarta mitt af hamingju.
Why is Augnablikið spelled with a suffix -ið?
In Icelandic the definite article is not a separate word but a suffix on the noun. Augnablikið is the definite nominative form of augnablik (“a blink of an eye”), so it literally means “the blink (of an eye).” Without -ið, augnablik would remain indefinite (“a blink”).
How do you pronounce Augnablikið?
You can approximate it as AU-gna-blee-kith with stress on the first syllable. The au sounds like oy in “boy,” gn is similar to the Spanish ñ, the í is a long ee, and the final ð is a soft th as in “this.”
Why is the adjective stutt used instead of stuttur?
Adjectives in Icelandic agree with their nouns in gender, number and case. Augnablik is a neuter noun, so in the neuter nominative singular the corresponding form of the adjective stuttur (“short”) is stutt, not stuttur (which is masculine).
Why does stutt follow the verb er rather than being placed directly before Augnablikið?
This is a predicative construction (subject + linking verb + adjective). In Icelandic, as in English, the adjective that describes the subject must come after the linking verb er (“is”). You wouldn’t say stutt augnablikið for “the blink is short.”
Why is there no það (“it”) before fyllir in the second clause?
When two independent clauses share the same clear subject, Icelandic often omits the pronoun in the second clause. Here augnablikið remains the subject, so það is unnecessary. You could include it (það fyllir hjarta mitt af hamingju), but Icelanders typically drop it.
Why does the verb fyllir come immediately after en instead of after the subject?
Icelandic main clauses obey the V2 (verb‐second) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position. In the second clause en (“but”) takes the first slot, so fyllir comes next, before any explicit subject.
Why is the preposition af used with hamingju, and what case does hamingju take here?
In Icelandic the phrase “to fill (one’s heart) with happiness” uses the construction fyllir hjarta af …. The preposition af here governs the dative case, so hamingja (“happiness”) appears in its dative singular form hamingju.
Why does the possessive pronoun mitt follow hjarta instead of preceding it?
Possessive pronouns in Icelandic agree in gender, number and case with the noun and typically follow the noun. Here hjarta is neuter, so you use the neuter singular pronoun mitt after it: hjarta mitt (“my heart”).