Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Icelandic grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Þessi litur er fallegur.
What part of speech is Þessi, and how does it agree with litur?
Þessi is a demonstrative adjective meaning this. In Icelandic it must match the noun it describes in gender, number, and case. Since litur is a masculine noun in the nominative singular, we use the masculine nominative singular form Þessi.
Why is there no article before litur, and how would you make it definite?
In Icelandic indefinite nouns do not take an article the way English uses a or the. If you want to say this color in a definite sense, you would turn litur into its definite form liturinn, giving þessi liturinn to refer clearly to that specific color.
Why does fallegur end in -ur?
Adjectives in Icelandic agree with the noun in gender, number, and case. The ending -ur marks fallegur as masculine nominative singular so that it matches litur.
What form of fallegur would you use if the noun were neuter?
For a neuter noun you would switch to the neuter nominative singular ending, giving fallegt.
What is er in this sentence?
er is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb að vera (to be), so it simply means is.
How would you say this sentence in the plural?
You would say Þessir litir eru fallegir. Here Þessi becomes Þessir (masculine plural nominative), er becomes eru, and fallegur becomes fallegir.
How is Þessi pronounced, especially the letter Þ?
The letter Þ (thorn) is pronounced like the voiceless dental fricative th in English words such as thin. So Þessi sounds roughly like thessi (/[θɛsɪ]/).