Síminn er bilaður.

to be

Breakdown of Síminn er bilaður.

• bilaður: broken
• síminn: the phone

Questions & Answers about Síminn er bilaður.

Why does it say Síminn and not just sími?

Icelandic often shows definiteness by adding a suffix to the noun. sími means “phone,” while síminn means “the phone.” The definite article for masculine nouns is -inn, which attaches to the end: sími + inn → síminn. There is no separate word for “the” in this case.

Could I say Sími er bilaður?

Grammatically yes, but it would mean “A phone is broken” (indefinite) and sounds odd out of context. In normal conversation you almost always mean a particular phone, so you’d say Síminn er bilaður (“The phone is broken”).

What gender is sími, and how does that affect bilaður?

sími is masculine. In Icelandic, adjectives agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case. Since síminn is masculine nominative singular (as the subject), the adjective is masculine nominative singular: bilaður. Compare:

• Masculine: Síminn er bilaður.
• Feminine: Tölvan er biluð. (“The computer is broken.”)
• Neuter: Tækið er bilað. (“The device is broken.”)

Why is the adjective ending -ur and not something else?

In predicative position (after “to be”), adjectives take the strong ending in nominative. For masculine singular, that ending is -ur: bilaður. With a definite attributive noun (before the noun), the adjective uses weak endings: bilaði síminn (“the broken phone”).

How would I say “The phones are broken”?

Use plural for both noun and adjective, and plural “to be”:

• Símarnir eru bilaðir. Singular: Síminn er bilaður. → Plural: Símarnir eru bilaðir.

How do I form a yes–no question: “Is the phone broken?”

Put the verb first:

• Er síminn bilaður?

How do I say “The phone is not broken”?

Insert ekki after the verb:

• Síminn er ekki bilaður.

What’s the difference between bilaður, brotinn, skemmdur, and ónýtur?

• bilaður: out of order, malfunctioning (devices/machines); not necessarily physically broken.
• brotinn: physically broken/cracked/shattered.
• skemmdur: damaged.
• ónýtur: unusable, beyond practical repair. Examples:
• Síminn er bilaður (won’t turn on/work).
• Síminn er brotinn (screen smashed).
• Síminn er skemmdur (damaged in some way).
• Síminn er ónýtur (no longer usable).

Is there a more colloquial way to say this?

Yes: Síminn virkar ekki (“The phone doesn’t work”). It’s very common in speech.

Why does Síminn have double n (-nn)?

Because the definite article -inn is attached to sími. The final form is written síminn with double n; this is regular for masculine definite nouns ending in a vowel.

How do I pronounce the special letters, especially í and ð?

• í is a long “ee” sound (as in “see”): Sí- ≈ “SEE-”.
• Plain i (as in bilaður) is short, like the vowel in “bit”.
• ð (in bilaður) is like the “th” in this (voiced).
• r is tapped/trilled. A simple approximation: “SEE-min ehr BIH-lah-thur.”

What are some useful forms of the verb vera (“to be”) here?

Present tense:

• ég er, þú ert, hann/hún/það er, við erum, þið eruð, þeir/þær/þau eru. So: hann er, þeir eru, etc.

How do I say “My phone is broken”?

Most natural: Síminn minn er bilaður. In Icelandic, a postposed possessive (like minn) typically goes with a definite noun (síminn).

What are the main case forms of sími I should know early on?

Singular (indefinite → definite):

• Nominative: sími → síminn (subject: “phone/the phone”)
• Accusative: síma → símann
• Dative: síma → símanum
• Genitive: síma → símans You need nominative here because it’s the subject of the sentence.