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Questions & Answers about Myndin er stutt.
What does Myndin er stutt mean in English?
Literally, Myndin er stutt translates as “The film (or picture) is short.” In most contexts it means “The movie is short.”
What is the function of the -in suffix in Myndin?
In Icelandic the definite article attaches as a suffix to the noun. Mynd means “film” or “picture,” and -in makes it definite (“the”). So Myndin = “the film.”
Which case and number is Myndin in?
It’s nominative singular. As the subject of the sentence, it stays in the nominative case, and because we’re talking about one film it’s singular.
Why is the adjective stutt not stuttur or stuttur?
Adjectives in predicate position (after a form of vera, “to be”) take the base form, which for feminine nominative singular is stutt. Although you might expect a masculine ending like -ur, here the form is feminine and happens to be the same as the neuter base.
Could Myndin er stutt ever mean “The picture is short (in height)” rather than “The movie is short”?
Yes—mynd can also mean “picture” or “painting.” If you’re talking about a physical image, stutt would describe its vertical dimension. Context tells you whether it’s a film or a picture.
How do you say “short film” as an attributive phrase (adjective before noun)?
You’d say stutt mynd for “a short film” (indefinite). If you want “the short film” as a subject you’d say stutta myndin, because the adjective takes a weak ending -a before the definite article -in.
How is Myndin er stutt pronounced?
Roughly: MEEN-din er STOOTT
- y in myndin sounds like the German ü or French u in tu.
- ð in myndin is a soft “th” as in English then.
- The double tt in stutt is a long, slightly tense “t.”
Can you use a different adjective for “short” if you mean “short in time (duration)” rather than “not tall or long”?
Yes. stuttur/stutt covers both “brief” and “not long.” If you wanted to emphasize “quick”, you might say skammur (briefer in everyday use), but Myndin er skammvinn would be unusual. Normally stutt is fine for runtime.