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Breakdown of Hávaðinn á vellinum er mikill.
vera
to be
á
in
mikill
great
hávaðinn
the noise
völlurinn
the stadium
Questions & Answers about Hávaðinn á vellinum er mikill.
Why does hávaðinn end with “-inn” instead of having a separate article?
Icelandic doesn’t use a separate word for “the.” Instead the definite article is suffixed to the noun. The base noun hávaður (“noise”) in nominative singular masculine takes -inn to become hávaðinn (“the noise”).
Why is á vellinum in the dative case with “-inum”?
The preposition á meaning “on” governs the dative when it expresses a static location. The noun völlur (“field”) in dative singular is velli, and adding the definite suffix -num yields vellinum (“on the field”).
Why is the adjective mikill not in its “definite” form mikli?
Because mikill is used predicatively here (it follows the verb er “is”). Predicative adjectives take the indefinite form. The “definite” form mikli would only appear attributively inside a definite noun phrase (e.g. hinn mikli hávaðinn).
Can I front the location and say Á vellinum er hávaðinn mikill?
Yes. Icelandic is a V2 language: if you start with Á vellinum, the finite verb er must remain in second position, then comes the subject hávaðinn, then mikill. This word order emphasizes the location.
What’s the difference between Hávaðinn á vellinum er mikill and Það er mikill hávaður á vellinum?
The first makes hávaðinn the grammatical subject (“The noise on the field is great”). The second uses a dummy subject það in an existential construction: “Það er mikill hávaður á vellinum” = “There is a lot of noise on the field.”
How would I say “The noises on the fields are great” in Icelandic?
Pluralize both nouns and adjust the adjective:
Hávaðarnir á völlunum eru miklir.
– hávaðarnir (nom. pl. def.), völlunum (dat. pl. def.), eru = are, miklir (nom. pl. indef. predicative).
How do you pronounce Hávaðinn á vellinum er mikill?
Rough “English‐spelling” guide:
HOW-thah-thin ow VET-li-num ehr MIK-il
– Stress on the first syllable of each content word.
– á = “ow” in “cow,” ð = voiced “th” as in “this.”
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