Hávaðinn á vellinum er mikill.

The noise in the stadium is great.

Breakdown of Hávaðinn á vellinum er mikill.

• vera: to be
• á: in
• mikill: great
• hávaðinn: the noise

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 and ?