Myndin er besta mynd ársins.

to be

Breakdown of Myndin er besta mynd ársins.

• af: of
• myndin: the movie
• bestur: best

Questions & Answers about Myndin er besta mynd ársins.

What does the suffix -in on Myndin do?

Myndin is the definite form of mynd (“movie”/“picture”). In Icelandic the definite article attaches at the end of the noun. For a feminine noun in the nominative singular, you add -in, so mynd + -in = myndin = “the movie”.

Why is the noun ár written as ársins, and what does the -sins ending mean?

We need the genitive to express “of the year,” and we also want “the year.” The breakdown is:
• ár (neuter nom. sg.)
• árs (neuter gen. sg., indefinite: ár + -s)
• ársins (neuter gen. sg., definite: árs + -ins where -inn in genitive becomes -ins)

So ársins literally means “of the year.”

Why doesn’t besta mynd ársins have the definite suffix -in on mynd, even though it means “the best movie”?

In Icelandic copular sentences (with vera = “to be”), the predicate noun phrase normally appears without the definite suffix. The superlative besta already conveys “the best,” so you leave mynd in its bare (indefinite) form. If you want extra emphasis on definiteness you can insert hin or sú (see below).

How is the superlative besta formed, and why does it end in -a?