Skiltið er stórt.

to be

Breakdown of Skiltið er stórt.

• stórt: big
• skiltið: the sign

Questions & Answers about Skiltið er stórt.

What does Skiltið mean exactly, and what is the basic form of the word?

Skiltið means the sign.

• The basic dictionary form is skilti (neuter noun) = sign.
• The ending -ð is the definite article attached to the noun.
• So:
  
  • skilti = sign
  • skiltið = the sign (nominative singular, neuter, definite)

Why is there no separate word for the in this sentence?

Icelandic usually attaches the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

In Skiltið er stórt:

• skilti (sign) + -ð (definite article for neuter singular) → skiltið = the sign
• So the -ð is doing the job of the.

What gender is skilti, and why does that matter?

Skilti is neuter. That matters because:

• The definite ending is -ð for neuter singular nominative → skiltið.
• The adjective stórt must agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun, so it gets a ending for .