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Questions & Answers about Íslenskan er falleg.
Why is it Íslenskan and not Íslenska?
In Icelandic, the definite article is a suffix. The noun íslenska (Icelandic, the language) becomes íslenskan in the nominative singular definite, meaning the Icelandic (language). For feminine nouns ending in -a, you add -n: kona -> konan. For other feminine nouns, you add -in: bók -> bókin.
Is it normal to use the definite form when talking about a language?
Yes. Icelandic often uses the definite form for general statements about a language: Íslenskan er falleg. You may also see the bare form (Íslenska er falleg), but the definite form is more idiomatic when speaking about the language as a whole.
What part of speech is Íslenskan here?
A noun meaning the Icelandic language. It’s derived from the adjective íslenskur (Icelandic) and the noun form is íslenska (feminine). With the definite article it’s íslenskan.
Why is the adjective falleg and not fallegur or fallegt?
Adjectives agree with the subject in gender, number, and case. Íslenskan is feminine singular nominative, so the predicative adjective is feminine nominative strong: falleg.
- Masculine: fallegur
- Feminine: falleg
- Neuter: fallegt Note: If you say Íslenska er fallegt tungumál (Icelandic is a beautiful language), fallegt agrees with tungumál (neuter).
Why not fallega?
Fallega is either an adverb (beautifully) or a weak feminine form used attributively with a definite noun, not the predicative form after er. Predicative adjectives use the strong form, so you need falleg: Íslenskan er falleg. Attributive example: sú fallega íslenska (that beautiful Icelandic [language]).
What does er mean, and how is it conjugated?
Er is the third person singular present of vera (to be). Present tense:
- ég er
- þú ert
- hann/hún/það er
- við erum
- þið eruð
- þeir/þær/þau eru
What case is Íslenskan in, and why?
Nominative, because it’s the subject of the sentence. The predicative adjective falleg also appears in the nominative to agree with the subject.
Why is Íslenskan capitalized?
Because it’s the first word of the sentence. Language names in Icelandic are not normally capitalized, so in the middle of a sentence you’d write íslenskan.
How do you pronounce the sentence?
Approximate guide:
- Íslenskan: EE-slens-kahn (stress on the first syllable; Í is a long ee; short a as in father)
- er: like “ehr” with a short e
- falleg: FAHT-leg, but note Icelandic ll sounds like a voiceless tl; final g is a soft gh-like sound General tips: Icelandic words are stressed on the first syllable; ll ≈ tl; Í is a distinct long vowel.
Does the verb really have to be second?
In main clauses, yes—modern Icelandic is a V2 language. The finite verb appears in second position after whatever comes first.
- Íslenskan er falleg.
- Falleg er íslenskan. (fronted adjective for emphasis)
- Í dag er íslenskan falleg. (adverb first, verb still second)
How would you turn it into a yes/no question?
Put the verb first: Er íslenskan falleg?
How do you say “Icelandic is very beautiful”?
Íslenskan er mjög falleg.
How do you negate it?
Insert ekki after the verb: Íslenskan er ekki falleg.
What pronoun would you use to refer back to Íslenskan?
Because íslenska is feminine, use hún (she): Íslenskan er falleg. Hún hljómar vel.
Can I use íslensk instead of íslenska?
Not here. Íslensk is an adjective (feminine), meaning Icelandic (as a property), not the language as a noun. For the language, use the noun íslenska (definite íslenskan).
How do I talk about speaking or learning Icelandic?
When it’s an object, use the appropriate case (usually accusative singular): Ég tala íslensku. Ég er að læra íslensku. Do not use the definite form (íslenskan) in those verb-object contexts unless you specifically mean the definite (the Icelandic in some contrastive context).