Breakdown of Stóllinn í bílnum er mjúkur en stóllinn í stofunni er mjúkari.
vera
to be
bíllinn
the car
stóllinn
the chair
í
in
en
but
mjúkur
soft
stofan
the living room
mjúkari
softer
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Questions & Answers about Stóllinn í bílnum er mjúkur en stóllinn í stofunni er mjúkari.
What does the suffix -inn on stóllinn and bílnum indicate?
In Icelandic the definite article (“the”) is not a separate word but a suffix attached to the noun. So stóllinn = stóll (chair) + -inn (the) → “the chair.” Similarly, bílnum = bíll (car) + -num (the, dative) → “the car.”
Why is bílnum in the dative case, while stóllinn is nominative?
The preposition í (“in”) can govern the dative when it expresses static location (“in the car”). That’s why bílnum is dative. Meanwhile stóllinn in each clause is the subject of er (“is”), so it remains in the nominative case.
How do I know mjúkur and mjúkari agree with stóllinn?
Icelandic adjectives agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe. Stóllinn is masculine, singular, nominative. The positive form mjúkur ends in -ur for that pattern. The comparative mjúkari also takes masculine, singular, nominative inflection, here -i.
How is the comparative form mjúkari formed from mjúkur?
Many Icelandic adjectives form the comparative by adding -ari to the stem. Here mjúk- + -ari → mjúkari (“softer” or “more soft”).
What role does en play in this sentence?
En is a conjunction meaning “but” or “however.” It contrasts the two clauses: the chair in the car is soft (mjúkur) but the chair in the living room is softer (mjúkari).
Why do we say í bílnum and í stofunni, both with dative?
When í expresses being located inside or at a place (static location), it always takes the dative case. Thus bíll becomes bílnum and stofa (“living room”) becomes stofunni in the dative definite.
Is the word order here standard for Icelandic?
Yes. Icelandic typically uses Subject-Verb-Predicate order. Each clause is: Stóllinn (subject) + er (verb “is”) + adjective (predicate). The prepositional phrase í bílnum simply follows the subject.
If I wanted to say “the softest,” how would I form the superlative of mjúkur?
You form the superlative by adding -astur to the stem: mjúk- + -astur → mjúkastur (“the softest”). Again you would inflect it for gender, number, case if needed (e.g. mjúkasti for masculine nominative singular).