Breakdown of Ströndin er fallegri í þögn og sól.
vera
to be
í
in
og
and
sólin
the sun
ströndin
the beach
þögnin
the silence
fallegri
more beautiful
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Questions & Answers about Ströndin er fallegri í þögn og sól.
What does Ströndin mean and why does it end with -in?
Strönd means “beach” or “shore.” In Icelandic the definite article is suffixed to the noun. For feminine singular nouns you add -in, so Ströndin literally = “the beach.”
What is the role of er in this sentence?
er is the present‐tense form of the verb vera (“to be”). Here it’s the copula linking the subject to its description: Ströndin er = “The beach is ….”
Why is fallegri used instead of falleg, and what does fallegri mean?
fallegri is the comparative form of fallegur (“beautiful”). It means “more beautiful.” In a predicate with er, you use the comparative to say “is more beautiful.”
How do you form comparatives of adjectives like fallegur in Icelandic?
Most adjectives drop the -ur ending and add -ri (or -ari if the stem ends in a consonant):
• fallegur → fallegri (“beautiful” → “more beautiful”)
• hvasst → hvassari (“sharp” → “sharper”)
A few are irregular, e.g.:
• góður → betri (“good” → “better”)
• lítill → minni (“small” → “smaller”)
What is being compared when there’s no en clause after fallegri?
The standard of comparison is implied—usually “than usual” or “than under other conditions.” If you want to specify it, you add en plus the comparison, e.g.:
Ströndin er fallegri í þögn og sól en í vindi og rigningu.
(“… than in wind and rain.”)
What do þögn and sól mean, and why are there no articles in í þögn og sól?
þögn = “silence” or “quiet,” sól = “sun” or “sunshine.” There’s no article because the phrase describes general or indefinite conditions (“in silence” and “in sunshine”), not a specific silence or a particular sun.
Which case do þögn and sól take after the preposition í, and why isn’t sól written as sólu?
The preposition í takes the dative when it indicates a static state (“in X”). The indefinite dative of þögn is þögn (same as the nominative); the regular indefinite dative of sól is sólu, but in many idiomatic or poetic expressions the -u is dropped, so í sól is more common than í sólu in everyday usage.
Why is og used between þögn and sól, and could I use eða instead?
og means “and,” linking two simultaneous conditions (“in silence and sunshine”). eða means “or,” which would imply you’re choosing one condition (“in silence or sunshine”) rather than experiencing both together.