Lampinn er hvítur.

to be

Breakdown of Lampinn er hvítur.

• hvítur: white
• lampinn: the lamp

Questions & Answers about Lampinn er hvítur.

Why does Lampinn end with -inn instead of using a separate word for “the”?

In Icelandic the definite article is not a standalone word like the in English but a suffix attached to the noun.

• -inn marks a masculine noun as definite in the nominative singular.
  So Lampinn = “the lamp.”

How do I say “a lamp” in Icelandic?

Use the indefinite form without the definite suffix:

• lampi = “a lamp” (masculine nominative singular, indefinite)

If you wanted plural “lamps” (indefinite), it would be:

• lampar = “lamps”

Why is the adjective hvítur ending in -ur rather than just hvít?

Because it’s the strong masculine nominative singular form, used after a copular verb (like er). In predicates, adjectives agree with the noun’s:

• Gender: masculine
• Number: singular
• Case: nominative

Hence hvítur = “(it) is white” describing a masculine singular noun.

When would I use hvít, hvítur, or hvítt?

These are different adjective forms depending on gender, number, case and definiteness:

• hvítur: strong masculine nominative singular (after er with a masculine noun)
• hvítt: strong neuter nominative singular (after er with a neuter noun)
• hvít: weak form for any gender/number when directly modifying a definite noun (e.g. hvíti lampinn = “the white lamp”)

What is er, and what is its infinitive form?

er is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb vera, which means “to be.”

• Infinitive: vera
• er = “(he/it/she) is.” Here it gives “the lamp is ….”

What is the word order in Lampinn er hvítur, and can I change it?

Standard declarative word order is Subject–Verb–Predicate:

1. Subject: Lampinn
2. Verb: er
3. Predicate adjective: hvítur

To turn it into a question, you invert verb and subject:

• Er lampinn hvítur? = “Is the lamp white?”

How would I say “the lamps are white” in Icelandic?

You need the plural forms for the noun, verb and adjective:

• Lamparnir = “the lamps” (masculine plural nominative definite; suffix -arnir)
• eru = 3rd person plural of vera (“are”)
• hvítir = strong masculine plural nominative of “white”

Put together: Lamparnir eru hvítir.