Myndin var góð í gær.

to be

Breakdown of Myndin var góð í gær.

• í gær: yesterday
• góð: good
• myndin: the movie

Questions & Answers about Myndin var góð í gær.

Why does Myndin end with -in?

In Icelandic, the definite article is suffixed to the noun. Mynd means “movie” (or “picture”) and is a feminine noun. The nominative-singular definite suffix for feminine nouns is -in, so Mynd + -in = Myndin (“the movie”).

Why is the adjective góð placed after the verb instead of before the noun?

Because here góð is a predicative adjective linked by the verb vera (“to be”). Predicative adjectives come after the verb (e.g. Myndin var góð = “The movie was good”). Attributive adjectives that directly modify a noun come before it (e.g. góð mynd = “a good movie”).

Why is it góð and not góður or gott?

Adjectives in Icelandic agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case. Mynd is feminine, nominative, singular. The strong-declension forms of góður (“good”) are: masculine góður, feminine góð, neuter gott, and plural góðar. Hence góð for Mynd.

Why is the past tense of vera “var” and not something like was?