Þetta orð er sérstakt.

to be

Breakdown of Þetta orð er sérstakt.

• þetta: this
• orð: the word
• sérstakt: special

Questions & Answers about Þetta orð er sérstakt.

What does þetta mean exactly, and how is it different from það or þessi?

Þetta is a demonstrative pronoun meaning roughly this or that (neuter singular). It is used for something you are pointing to, referring to in the immediate context, or just introducing.

• þetta = this / that (thing), neuter singular
• það = also it / that, but more neutral and often used for things already known, or as an expletive subject (as in Það er kalt – It is cold).
• þessi is the base form that declines by gender and number:
  
  • masculine singular: þessi
  • feminine singular: þessi
  • neuter singular: þetta
  • neuter plural: þessi (e.g. þessi orð – these words)

In Þetta orð er sérstakt, þetta matches orð, which is neuter singular.

Why is there no separate word for the in þetta orð?

Icelandic normally does not use a separate article like English the. Instead, definiteness is usually shown by a suffix on the noun.

• orð = a word / word (indefinite)
• orðið = the word (definite)

Here, þetta orð literally means this word. The already makes the noun specific, so you normally do add the definite suffix as well in this structure.