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Questions & Answers about Kaffihúsið er opið.
What does the suffix -ið in Kaffihúsið signify?
It’s the definite article attached to a neuter noun, so kaffihús (“coffee house”) becomes Kaffihúsið (“the café”). Icelandic marks definiteness by suffixes: neuter nom. sg. adds -ið.
Why is kaffihús classified as neuter?
Because the head of the compound is hús (“house”), which is always neuter in Icelandic. Compound nouns inherit gender from their head.
How is the definite article formed in Icelandic?
Icelandic doesn’t use a separate word for “the.” Instead it appends:
• -inn to masculine nouns (nom. sg.)
• -in to feminine nouns (nom. sg.)
• -ið to neuter nouns (nom. sg.)
What role does er play in Kaffihúsið er opið?
er is the 3rd person singular present of vera (“to be”), so it translates simply as “is.”
Is opið a verb or an adjective here?
It’s an adjective (from opinn, “open”) used predicatively with vera to describe the state of the subject.
Why does opið end in -ið rather than -inn or -in?
Adjectives agree with gender, number and case:
• Neuter nominative singular takes -t, written -ið after certain clusters.
Hence opinn (m.), opin (f.), opið (n.).
What’s the word order in the sentence?
Subject–Verb–Predicate adjective:
Kaffihúsið (subject) + er (verb) + opið (predicate).
How do you pronounce Kaffihúsið er opið?
Approximate IPA: [ˈkʰapːihuː.sɪð ɛr ˈɔː.pɪð]
• pp indicates a long [pː]
• ú is [uː]
• ð is the voiced dental fricative (like th in this)