Myndin er besta mynd ársins.

to be

Breakdown of Myndin er besta mynd ársins.

• af: of
• myndin: the movie
• bestur: best
• myndin: the film
• árið: the year

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?

Most Icelandic adjectives form the superlative with -ast (e.g. fallegur → fallegastur, fallegasta, fallegasta). However, góður (“good”) is irregular: • Comparative: betri
• Superlative masc. nom. sg.: besti
• Superlative fem. & neut. nom. sg.: besta

Since mynd is feminine singular nominative, we use besta.

Why are there two instances of mynd in the sentence?

This is a linking (copular) sentence structure: • Myndin = subject (“the movie”)
• er = verb (“is”)
• besta mynd ársins = predicate nominative (“best movie of the year”)

The first Myndin tells us which movie, and the second is part of the descriptive phrase.

What is the role of er here?

er is the 3rd-person singular present of vera (“to be”). It functions exactly like English “is,” linking the subject (Myndin) to its description (besta mynd ársins).

Could I say Myndin er sú besta mynd ársins, and what does sú (or hin) do?

Yes. Adding sú or hin (“the one [fem.]”) makes the predicate explicitly definite/emphatic: • Myndin er sú besta mynd ársins.
Both versions are correct; sú/hin simply reinforces “the” in “the best movie,” though the shorter form without it is more common.

Can I use kvikmynd instead of mynd, and what’s the difference?

kvikmynd literally means “motion picture” (film) and is the more formal term for a movie. mynd can mean “picture,” “photograph,” or colloquially “a movie.” In everyday speech you’ll hear both—kvikmynd is unambiguous when you specifically mean a film.