Skjalið er undirritað.

The document is signed.

Breakdown of Skjalið er undirritað.

• vera: to be
• skjalið: the document
• undirritaður: signed

Questions & Answers about Skjalið er undirritað.

What does the ending -ið on Skjalið indicate, and what is the base form?

• -ið is the suffixed definite article for neuter singular nouns.
• The base form is skjal (neuter). So:
  • Indefinite: skjal
  • Definite: skjalið
• Useful forms:
  • Nominative/accusative plural: skjöl
  • Definite plural: skjölin

Why is it undirritað and not undirritaður or undirrituð?

• The past participle used as a predicative adjective agrees with the subject in gender and number.
• Skjal is neuter singular, so the correct form is neuter nominative singular: undirritað.
• Other nominative forms:
  • Masculine singular: undirritaður (e.g., Samningurinn er undirritaður)
  • Feminine singular: undirrituð (e.g., Tilkynningin er undirrituð)
  • Neuter plural: undirrituð (e.g., Skjölin eru undirrituð)
  • Masculine plural: undirritaðir; Feminine plural: undirritaðar

Is er + past participle a passive, and what nuance does it have?

• Yes. Vera + past participle (here er undirritað) is the “stative passive”: it describes the resulting state (the document stands in a signed state).
• For the signing event (dynamic passive), Icelandic typically uses:
  • Past: var undirritað
  • Future: verður undirritað

How do I say “was signed,” “has been signed,” and “will be signed”?

• Past event: Skjalið var undirritað (í gær).
• Present perfect: Skjalið hefur verið undirritað.
• Future event: Skjalið verður undirritað á morgun.

Can I mention the agent (e.g., “by the minister”)?

• Use af + dative:
  • Event passive (most common with agents): Skjalið var undirritað af ráðherranum.
• With the stative passive, you sometimes see an agent-like phrase to identify whose signatures it bears:
  • Skjalið er undirritað af báðum aðilum. But for the action of signing, the past event passive (var undirritað) is usually preferred.

What’s the difference between að undirrita and að skrifa undir?

• Both mean “to sign.”
  • að undirrita is more formal/legal; its participle declines: undirritaður/undirrituð/undirritað.
  • að skrifa undir is everyday style; as a passive participle construction you’ll see forms like skrifaður undir (e.g., Samningurinn var skrifaður undir).
• Both are standard; choose based on register.

Why isn’t it Skjalið er undirritaða?

• Predicative adjectives (after vera) take the strong endings, so neuter singular is -að: undirritað.
• The weak endings (e.g., -a) are used when the adjective is attributive before a definite noun:
  • Hið undirritaða skjal = “the signed document” (attributive, weak declension).
  • Skjalið er undirritað (predicative, strong declension).

What case is Skjalið in, and why? Do passives change case?

• Skjalið is nominative singular because it is the subject.
• In the active, undirrita takes an accusative object: Hún undirritaði skjalið.
• In the passive, that object is promoted to subject and becomes nominative: Skjalið var undirritað.
• Some Icelandic verbs keep non-nominative (“quirky”) subjects even in passives, but undirrita is regular here.

How do I make this sentence plural?

• Skjölin eru undirrituð.
  • Note the irregular plural of skjal → skjöl and the definite plural skjölin.
  • The participle agrees in neuter plural: undirrituð.

How do I say “It is being signed (right now)”?

• Use the impersonal progressive: Það er verið að undirrita skjalið.
• Everyday alternative with the phrasal verb: Það er verið að skrifa undir skjalið.

Why does undirritað have a double rr?

• It comes from the prefix undir
  • the verb rita. When a prefix ending in -r combines with a root beginning with r, Icelandic writes rr: undirrita → participle undirritað.
• Compare: forríkur (from for-
  • ríkur).

Can undirritað be used like a normal adjective before a noun?

• Yes. Past participles often function as adjectives.
  • Indefinite, attributive (strong): undirritað skjal
  • Definite, attributive (weak): hið undirritaða skjal
  • Predicative (after vera): Skjalið er undirritað

How is the sentence pronounced? Any tips for skj and ð?

• Stress the first syllable of each word: SKJ-alið er UN-dir-rit-að.
• skj is like “sky-” with a palatal element; think “skyah.”
• ð is the soft English th in “this.”
• Vowels are Icelandic-specific, but a rough guide: Skjalið ≈ “SKYAH-lith,” undirritað ≈ “OON-dir-ri-tath” (final ð as soft th).

Can I drop er like in headlines?

• Yes, in headlines or notes you can omit the copula: Skjalið undirritað.
• In full sentences, keep er: Skjalið er undirritað.