Sigurinn er góður.

The victory is good.

Breakdown of Sigurinn er góður.

• vera: to be
• góður: good
• sigurinn: the victory

Questions & Answers about Sigurinn er góður.

What is the base form (lemma) of Sigurinn, and what does it mean?

The dictionary form is sigur. It’s a masculine noun meaning “victory.” In Icelandic dictionaries you’ll find it under sigur, nominative singular.

Why is there no separate word for “the” before sigurinn?

Icelandic doesn’t use a separate article. Instead, the definite article is a suffix attached to the noun. For masculine nouns in the nominative singular you add -inn to the stem:
• sigur → sigurinn (“the victory”)

What case, number, and gender is sigurinn?

• Case: nominative (it’s the subject of er)
• Number: singular
• Gender: masculine

Why does góður end in -ur, and how does it agree with sigurinn?

Góður is the masculine nominative singular form of the adjective “good.” In a predicative position (after er), adjectives agree with the subject’s gender and number. Since sigurinn is masculine singular, we use góður.

What are the other singular forms of góður for feminine and neuter?

When you describe a feminine or neuter noun, you switch the adjective ending:
• Feminine singular: góð
• Neuter singular: gott

How do you pronounce Sigurinn er góður?

In IPA approximately:
/ˈsɪːɣʏrɪn ˈɛːr ˈkɔːðʏr/
A rough English‐style guide:
SEE-ɣur-rin air GOW-thur
(ɣ is like a soft, voiced “h” in between vowels.)

How do you type the accented letter ó on an English keyboard?

• Windows: hold Alt and type 0243 on the numeric keypad
• macOS: press Option + e, then o
• Linux (Compose key): Compose ' then o

How would you say “The victory was good” (past tense)?

Replace er (“is”) with its past form var:
Sigurinn var góður.

If I want to say “Victory is good” in general (no “the”), how do I say it?

Use the bare noun sigur (indefinite nominative singular) with the same adjective form:
Sigur er góður.

What is the comparative of góður, and how do I say “The victory is better”?

The comparative of góður is betri. To say “The victory is better”:
Sigurinn er betri.