Questions & Answers about Sólin skín bjart í dag.
In Icelandic the definite article is a suffix, not a separate word.
- Sól = “sun” (indefinite)
- Sólin = “the sun” (definite)
So -in at the end marks the noun as definite.
skín is the third person singular present of að skína (“to shine”). Present‐tense conjugation:
• ég skína
• þú skínir
• hann/hún/það skín
• við skinum
• þið skínið
• þeir/þær/þau skína
So skín = “(it) shines.”
Bjart here functions as an adverb (“brightly”). In Icelandic you often use the neuter adjective form as an adverb without change.
- Adjective (neuter) = bjart
- Adverb = bjart (“brightly”)
If you wanted the adjective “bright” to match a feminine noun, it would be björt, but that’s not needed when you’re describing how something shines.
A rough phonetic guide:
• ó = long “o” /oː/ → “SOH”
• sólin → “SOH-lin”
• skín → “SKEEN” (/iː/)
• bjart → “BY-art” (/a/ like the ‘a’ in “father”)
• í = long “ee” /iː/ → “EE”
• dag → “DAHG” (/a/ similar to ‘a’ in “father,” final g is a voiced /g/)
Put it all together: “SOH-lin skeen BY-art ee DAHG.”