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Questions & Answers about Hugmyndin er frábær.
What does hugmyndin mean, and why isn’t it just hugmynd?
Hugmynd is the basic noun meaning “idea.” Icelandic marks the definite article by adding an ending to the noun. Since hugmynd is feminine, the definite singular nominative ending is -in, giving hugmyndin “the idea.”
What is er doing in the sentence?
Er is the third-person singular present tense of the verb að vera (“to be”). It links the subject hugmyndin with the descriptive adjective frábær, so hugmyndin er frábær literally means “the idea is great.”
What does frábær mean, and what part of speech is it?
Frábær is an adjective meaning “great,” “fantastic,” or “excellent.” In this sentence it functions as a predicate adjective describing hugmyndin.
How do I pronounce Hugmyndin er frábær?
Approximate pronunciation in English:
- Hugmyndin ≈ “HOOG-mith-thin” (the u like “oo” in “food,” ð like “th” in “this”)
- er ≈ “ehr” (like “air” without the “a” sound)
- frábær ≈ “FROW-bair” (the á as “ow” in “cow,” æ as “ai” in “fair”)
Put it together: HOOG-mith-thin ehr FROW-bair.
Why is it frábær and not frábært or frábæri?
In predicate position (after vera), Icelandic adjectives distinguish only two gender forms in the singular: common gender (masculine/feminine) and neuter. Frábær is the common-gender form, used for both masculine and feminine subjects. If the subject were neuter you’d use frábært. There is no separate definite ending on predicate adjectives.
How would I say “a great idea” or “the great idea” if I wanted frábær attributively?
• Indefinite attributive (“a great idea”): frábær hugmynd
• Definite attributive (“the great idea”): frábæra hugmyndin
Notice that in the definite attributive form the adjective takes the strong ending -a before the definite noun.
How do I turn the statement into a yes/no question (“Is the idea great?”)?
Icelandic forms simple yes/no questions by inverting the verb and the subject. So you’d say:
Er hugmyndin frábær?
If I wanted to emphasize “that idea,” how would I say “That idea is great”?
Use a demonstrative pronoun before the noun:
Sú hugmynd er frábær.
Here sú means “that” (feminine), agreeing with hugmynd.