Questions & Answers about Strákurinn er mjög hár.
Why does strákurinn end in -inn? Why not just strákur?
Icelandic doesn’t use a separate word for “the” like English does.
Instead, it usually adds a definite article ending to the noun.
- strákur = a boy (indefinite)
- strákurinn = the boy (definite)
So -inn here is the masculine singular definite ending in the nominative case.
The sentence is specifically talking about “the boy”, not just “a boy” in general, so it must be strákurinn.
What is the base dictionary form of strákurinn, and what are its gender and case?
The base (dictionary) form is:
- strákur – masculine noun, nominative singular, meaning boy.
In the sentence Strákurinn er mjög hár:
- strákurinn is:
- masculine
- singular
- nominative
- definite (because of -inn)
The nominative case is used because strákurinn is the subject of the sentence.
How do you pronounce Strákurinn er mjög hár roughly in English-like sounds?