Bíllinn er dýr.

to be

Breakdown of Bíllinn er dýr.

• bíllinn: the car
• dýr: expensive

Questions & Answers about Bíllinn er dýr.

What does the ending in the word Bíllinn mean?

It’s the suffixed definite article, meaning the. Icelandic typically puts the article after the noun:

• bíll = a car
• bíllinn = the car

Why is the adjective dýr used here (and not dýrt, dýrir, etc.)?

Adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number. Bíllinn is masculine singular, so the predicate adjective is masculine singular nominative strong: dýr.

• Masculine sg: dýr
• Feminine sg: dýr
• Neuter sg: dýrt
• Plural: dýrir (m), dýrar (f), dýr (n)

What case is Bíllinn in?

Nominative singular. It’s the subject of the sentence and follows the copula er (to be), which takes a nominative subject. Predicate adjectives like dýr also appear in nominative.

How would the sentence look with a neuter or feminine subject?

• Neuter: Húsið er dýrt. (The house is expensive.)
• Feminine: Bókin er dýr. (The book is expensive.) The adjective changes to dýrt with neuter nouns, but stays dýr with feminine in the nominative singular.

Why isn’t there a separate word for the?

Icelandic uses a postposed article attached to the noun (like -inn, -in, -ið, etc.). So you say bíllinn for the car, not a separate word before the noun.

How do I say “an expensive car” vs. “the expensive car”?

• Attributive, indefinite: dýr bíll (an expensive car) — strong adjective.
• Attributive, definite: dýri bíllinn (the expensive car) — weak adjective before a definite noun. Note the contrast: after the verb (predicate) you normally use the strong form: Bíllinn er dýr.

What does er mean, and how is it conjugated?

Er is the present 3rd person singular of vera (to be):

• Present: ég er, þú ert, hann/hún/það er, við erum, þið eruð, þeir/þær/þau eru
• Past (for reference): ég var, þú varst, hann/hún/það var, við vorum, þið voruð, þeir/þær/þau voru

How do I turn this into a yes/no question?

Invert the verb and subject:

• Er bíllinn dýr? (Is the car expensive?)

How do I negate it?

Place ekki after the verb:

• Bíllinn er ekki dýr. (The car is not expensive.)

How do I say “Cars are expensive”?

Use the plural:

• Indefinite: Bílar eru dýrir.
• Definite: Bílarnir eru dýrir.

Why do I sometimes see bíllinn and other times bílinn?

That’s case. The nominative definite is bíllinn (subject). In other cases the stem simplifies:

• Nominative: bíllinn (the car)
• Accusative: bílinn (e.g., Ég sé bílinn — I see the car)
• Dative: bílnum (í bílnum — in the car)
• Genitive: bílsins (hurð bílsins — the car’s door)

Does dýr also mean “animal”? Is that confusing?

Yes. Dýr (neuter noun) = animal; dýr (adjective) = expensive. Grammar and endings disambiguate:

• dýrið = the animal (neuter definite)
• Dýrið er dýrt. = The animal is expensive. (Both neuter.)

How is the sentence pronounced?

Rough guide:

• í and ý sound like a long “ee.”
• ll in bíllinn is pronounced like a quick “tl” sound.
• So you can think: BEE-tl-in ehr DEER. Precise Icelandic sounds differ from English, but this will get you close.

How do I say “very expensive,” “too expensive,” or “more/most expensive”?

• Very: mjög dýr
• Too: of dýr
• Comparative: dýrari (Þessi bíll er dýrari — This car is more expensive.)
• Superlative (predicate): masculine dýrastur, feminine dýrust, neuter dýrast
  • Bíllinn er dýrastur.
  • Húsið er dýrast.

Which pronoun would refer back to bíllinn?

Hann (he/it), because bíll is grammatically masculine:

• Bíllinn er dýr. Hann er líka gamall. (The car is expensive. It is also old.)

Why is Bíllinn capitalized? Are common nouns normally capitalized?

It’s capitalized only because it starts the sentence. Icelandic does not capitalize common nouns otherwise (only proper names and sentence-initial words).