Kakan er góð.

to be

Breakdown of Kakan er góð.

• kakan: the cake
• góð: good

Questions & Answers about Kakan er góð.

What does kakan mean?

Kakan is kaka (“cake”) plus the definite article suffix -n, so kakan literally means the cake.

Where is the definite article in Icelandic?

Unlike English, Icelandic tacks its definite article onto the end of the noun as a suffix. You say kaka for “a cake” or “cake” in general, and kakan for “the cake.”

How would I say “a cake is good”?

Simply drop the suffix: Kaka er góð. That reads as “a cake is good” or “cake is good.”

Why is góð placed after er instead of before kakan?

Here góð is a predicative adjective (it describes the subject via the linking verb er). Predicative adjectives in Icelandic come after the verb, whereas attributive adjectives (directly modifying a noun) go before it.

Why is the adjective góð not inflected as góður or góða?

Predicative adjectives use the indefinite nominative singular form and only agree in gender and number. Since kaka is feminine, you use the feminine nominative form . (Masculine would be , neuter .)