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Questions & Answers about Hreyfingin er góð.
What does hreyfingin literally mean, and what is its base dictionary form?
The base dictionary form is hreyfing, a feminine noun meaning roughly movement, motion, or exercise (physical activity).
With the ending -in, it becomes hreyfingin, which means the movement or the exercise. So the sentence literally says: The movement / The exercise is good.
What is the ending -in in hreyfingin, and why is it attached to the noun instead of a separate word?
The ending -in is the definite article (the word the) for a feminine singular noun in the nominative case.
In Icelandic, the definite article is usually stuck onto the end of the noun instead of being a separate word in front, as in English. So:
- hreyfing = movement / exercise
- hreyfingin = the movement / the exercise
Similarly:
- bók = book → bókin = the book (feminine)
- stóll = chair → stóllinn = the chair (masculine)
- barn = child → barnið = the child (neuter)
What gender, case, and number is hreyfingin here, and why?