Veröldin er stór, en draumarnir okkar eru stærri.

to be

Breakdown of Veröldin er stór, en draumarnir okkar eru stærri.

• stór: big
• en: but
• okkar: our

Questions & Answers about Veröldin er stór, en draumarnir okkar eru stærri.

Why is veröldin used instead of veröld, and draumarnir instead of draumar?

Icelandic expresses definiteness by adding a suffix to the noun.

• veröld (“world”) becomes veröldin (“the world”) by adding the feminine singular definite ending -in.
• draumar is the indefinite plural of draumur (“dream”), and draumarnir is its definite plural, formed with -arnir.

Why is the verb in the first clause er and in the second clause eru?

Icelandic verbs agree in number with their subject.

• veröldin is singular, so we use er (3rd person singular “is”).
• draumarnir is plural, so we use eru (3rd person plural “are”).

Why is the adjective stór in veröldin er stór not in the weak form stóra?

Adjectives in predicate position (after verbs like er) always appear in their strong (indefinite) form, regardless of the noun’s definiteness. That is why you say veröldin er stór and not veröldin er stóra.

How do we form the comparative stærri from stór?