Questions & Answers about Veturinn er langur og kaldur.
Why does Veturinn end with -inn?
Icelandic doesn’t use a separate word for the. Instead it attaches endings (definite articles) to nouns. For masculine nouns in the nominative singular you add -inn:
• vetur = “winter” (indefinite)
• veturinn = “the winter” (definite)
Why do langur and kaldur not have a definite ending after veturinn?
They’re predicate adjectives (they come after the verb vera = “to be”). Predicate adjectives always take the strong form in the nominative singular and do not show the weak (definite) ending. If they were attributive (before a definite noun), you’d use the weak form, e.g. langi og kaldi veturinn (“the long and cold winter”).
How do adjectives in Icelandic agree with nouns?
Adjectives must match their noun in three categories:
• Gender (masculine, feminine, neuter)
• Number (singular, plural)
• Case (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive)
In Veturinn er langur og kaldur, veturinn is masculine, singular, nominative. Therefore the adjectives are also masculine, singular, nominative (strong form).
How would I ask “Is the winter long and cold?” in Icelandic?