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 -t ending for neuter singular nominative.

So both skiltið and stórt are in neuter singular nominative.

Why does stórt end in -t, and not in something like -ur?

Icelandic adjectives change their endings to agree with the noun.

The base form here is stór = big. For a neuter singular nominative noun (like skiltið) used with vera (to be), stór becomes stórt:

• hestur er stór = the horse (masc.) is big
• bók er stór = the book (fem.) is big
• skiltið er stórt = the sign (neut.) is big

So -t marks neuter singular in this position.

Could you say Skiltið er stór without the -t?

No, not in standard Icelandic.

Because skiltið is neuter, the predicate adjective must also take the neuter form: stórt.

• Skiltið er stór sounds ungrammatical to Icelandic speakers.
• Correct: Skiltið er stórt.

How would you say The sign is very big?

You typically add mjög (very) before the adjective:

• Skiltið er mjög stórt. = The sign is very big.

Notice that stórt still keeps the -t to agree with skiltið.

How do you turn Skiltið er stórt into a yes–no question: Is the sign big?

You normally keep the word order the same and just raise your intonation:

• Skiltið er stórt? = Is the sign big?

In more formal or written language, you can also front the verb:

• Er skiltið stórt? = Is the sign big?

Both are understood; Er skiltið stórt? is the clear question form.

How is Skiltið er stórt pronounced?

Approximate pronunciation for an English speaker:

• Skiltið ≈ SKIL-tith

  • sk before i is a bit more hissy/palatal than English sk.
  • i is short, like in sit.
  • ð is a soft th sound as in this, but often very light at the end.

• er ≈ short air with a trilled or tapped r.

• stórt ≈ stort / stowrt

  • ó is like the vowel in go, but shorter and purer.
  • Final -rt is pronounced together; the r is tapped or trilled, and the t is clear.

What verb is er, and does it change with the subject?

Er is the present tense of the verb vera (to be), used with he / she / it (3rd person singular).

Present tense of vera:

• ég er = I am
• þú ert = you are (singular)
• hann / hún / það er = he / she / it is
• við erum = we are
• þið eruð = you are (plural)
• þeir / þær / þau eru = they are

So in Skiltið er stórt, er is just is.

How would you say The signs are big?

You need the plural definite of skilti and the plural of vera:

• Skiltin eru stór. = The signs are big.

Details:

• skilti (sign) → plural definite skiltin (the signs).
• Verb: eru (are), plural of er.
• Adjective: stór is the neuter plural form here (no -t in neuter plural nominative/accusative).

What case is used in Skiltið er stórt, and why?

Both skiltið and stórt are in the nominative case.

• Skiltið is the subject, so it must be nominative.
• With the verb vera (to be), the adjective (and any noun on the other side of er) also appears in the nominative, agreeing with the subject.

So: nominative, neuter, singular, definite for skiltið and nominative, neuter, singular for stórt.

How would you say the big sign (not as a whole sentence, just the phrase)?

You put the adjective before the noun and use a different adjective form because the noun is definite:

• stóra skiltið = the big sign

Compare:

• stórt skilti = a big sign (indefinite)
• stóra skiltið = the big sign (definite; adjective takes a different, so‑called weak form)
• Skiltið er stórt. = The sign is big. (predicate position; adjective uses the strong form again)