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Questions & Answers about Húsið er nýtt.
What does the -ið suffix in húsið represent?
It marks the definite article on the noun. In Icelandic, instead of placing “the” before a noun, you attach -inn, -ið or -in to its end depending on gender and case. Here hús is a neuter noun in the nominative singular, so its definite form is húsið (“the house”).
What gender is hús, and how does that affect húsið?
Hús is neuter. Gender in Icelandic influences both the form of the definite suffix and the adjective endings. For neuter nouns in the nominative singular, the definite article is -ið, giving húsið.
Why is the adjective nýtt spelled with double t?
The base form (stem) of the adjective is nýr. To form the strong neuter nominative singular, Icelandic replaces the final -r with -tt, yielding nýtt.
Why is the adjective nýtt in the neuter form and not nýr (masculine) or ný (feminine)?
In a copular construction like “X is Y,” the adjective agrees in gender, number and case with its subject. Since húsið is neuter singular, the adjective must also be neuter singular, hence nýtt.