Sagan er löng.

to be

Breakdown of Sagan er löng.

• langur: long
• sagan: the story

Questions & Answers about Sagan er löng.

Why is there no separate word for the in Icelandic? Where is the definite article in Sagan er löng?

Icelandic doesn’t use a separate word for the. Instead, the definite article is attached as a suffix to the noun.

• saga = “a story” (indefinite)
• sagan = “the story” (definite, marked by -n)

The noun saga ends in -a. How do I know it’s feminine? Are all -a nouns feminine?

Most Icelandic nouns ending in -a are feminine, but there are exceptions. You’ll learn them over time, and every noun in a dictionary is marked with its gender. As a general guideline:

• -a → usually feminine (e.g. saga, hús is an exception)
• -ur → often masculine (e.g. stallur)
• -i/-j/-t → often neuter (e.g. barn, hálft)

What form is löng? Why isn’t it langur?

langur is the dictionary (masculine) form “long.” Adjectives in Icelandic change to match the gender, number and case of the noun they describe.

• löng = feminine singular nominative (strong/indefinite) form of langur, agreeing with saga (feminine, singular, nominative).