Strákurinn er snjall í stærðfræði.

to be

Breakdown of Strákurinn er snjall í stærðfræði.

• í: in
• strákurinn: the boy
• snjall: smart

Questions & Answers about Strákurinn er snjall í stærðfræði.

What does the -inn ending in Strákurinn mean?

It’s the suffixed definite article “the.” Icelandic usually adds definiteness to the end of the noun.

• strákur = boy
• strákurinn = the boy For other cases you’ll see different endings, e.g. accusative: Ég sé strákinn (I see the boy).

Why is it snjall, not snjallur?

Here the adjective is predicative (after er “is”). With this adjective, the common predicative masculine form is snjall. Before a noun (attributive), you use snjallur: snjallur strákur (a smart boy). You may also hear Hann er snjallur, but in the “good at X” construction, snjall is very idiomatic.

How does the adjective agree with the subject?

Adjectives agree in gender and number.

• Masculine: Hann/Strákurinn er snjall.
• Feminine: Hún/Stúlkan er snjöll.
• Neuter: Það/Barnið er snjallt.
• Plural: Þeir/Þær/Þau/Krakkarnir eru snjallir/snjallar/snjöll (masc./fem./neut. plural).

Is snjall the most natural way to say “good at math”?

It’s fine and common, especially as “clever/skillful (in).” Other very common options: