Takkinn er stór og gulur.

The button is big and yellow.

Breakdown of Takkinn er stór og gulur.

• vera: to be
• stór: big
• og: and
• takkinn: the button
• gulur: yellow

Questions & Answers about Takkinn er stór og gulur.

Why don’t we see a separate word for “the” in Takkinn er stór og gulur?

Icelandic doesn’t use a standalone definite article (“the”) like English. Instead, it tacks a suffix onto the noun. Here:

• takkur = “button” (indefinite)
• takkinn = takkur
  • -inn (definite suffix) = “the button”

What exactly does the -inn in takkinn do?

-inn is the masculine singular nominative definite article. Every gender/number/case combination in Icelandic has its own suffix:

• Masculine nom. sg.: -inn
• Feminine nom. sg.: -in (e.g. bók → bókin)
• Neuter nom. sg.: -ið (e.g. barn → barnið)
  …plus other endings for plural and cases.

Why do the adjectives stór and gulur end in “-r”?

They’re in the masculine nominative singular strong (indefinite) form to agree with takkinn as subject complements (predicate adjectives). In the strong declension you typically see:

• Masc. nom. sg. -r (or just the base form if the stem ends in r already)
• Fem. nom. sg. different ending (often no final r)
• Neut. nom. sg. -t

So stór and gulur each take their dictionary (strong) masculine endings.

Could the adjectives come before the noun, like in English (“the big yellow button”)?

Yes, but then they become attributive (direct modifiers), and you must use the weak declension because the noun is definite. So:

• Attributive: stóri guli takkinn = “the big yellow button”
  (weak masc. nom. sg. endings -i, -i)
• But as a predicate with er, you use the strong forms: stór og gulur.

Why are the adjectives placed after er?

Because this is a predicate construction (“to be” + adjective). In Icelandic (as in English) you say:
Subject (definite) + er + predicate adjective(s).
Hence Takkinn (subject) er (copula) stór og gulur (predicate).

If the noun were neuter instead of masculine, how would the adjectives change?

Neuter nominative singular adjectives take -t in strong form. For example, with hús (house, neuter):
“The house is big and yellow” → Húsið er stórt og gult.

Why do predicate adjectives use the strong (indefinite) forms, even when the noun is definite?

In Icelandic grammar, predicate adjectives always follow the strong declension rules. They inflect for the noun’s gender/number/case but ignore definiteness—unlike attributive adjectives, which switch to the weak forms when the noun is definite.

How do you connect two adjectives in Icelandic? Is it always og (“and”)?

Yes, og is the standard conjunction:
stór og gulur = “big and yellow.”
You can also use commas in longer lists, but og appears before the final item, just like in English.

Are there any pronunciation notes for Takkinn er stór og gulur?

• kk in takkinn is a long/fortis [kː].
• Double nn is a long [nː].
• stór has a long ó [ouː].
  Overall:
  [ˈtʰakːɪn ˈɛr stouːr ɔɣ ˈɡʏlʏr]

Could you omit the verb er and just say Takkinn stór og gulur?

In everyday Icelandic you need the copula er to form a full descriptive sentence. Omitting it would sound like a heading or a note on a list, not a complete clause.