Word
Undirskriftin er skýr.
Meaning
The signature is clear.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
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Questions & Answers about Undirskriftin er skýr.
What does each word mean and what are their grammatical roles?
- Undirskrift-in = signature + the; the subject (feminine nominative singular). Built from undir (under) + skrift (writing) with the definite ending -in.
- er = is; 3rd person singular of vera (to be); the copula.
- skýr = clear; a predicate adjective describing the subject.
Why does the noun end in -in? Where is “the”?
Icelandic uses a suffixed definite article. For feminine nouns in nominative singular, the ending is -in. So undirskrift → undirskriftin = “the signature.” (For reference: masculine -inn, feminine -in, neuter -ið.)
What gender/case/number is undirskriftin, and why?
It’s feminine nominative singular. It’s the subject of the sentence, and subjects of the copula vera (“to be”) are in the nominative. The final -t in undirskrift is part of the root; it doesn’t make the noun neuter.
Why is the adjective skýr and not skýrt or skýra?