Markmiðið er einfalt.

The goal is simple.

Breakdown of Markmiðið er einfalt.

• vera: to be
• einfaldur: simple
• markmiðið: the goal

Questions & Answers about Markmiðið er einfalt.

What are the individual words in Markmiðið er einfalt and what do they literally mean?

The sentence breaks down like this:

• markmiðið – the goal / the objective

  • markmið = goal, objective (a neuter noun)
  • -ið = the definite ending for neuter singular (so markmið → markmiðið = the goal)

• er – is

  • The present tense of the verb að vera (to be).

• einfalt – simple (here in the neuter singular nominative form, agreeing with markmiðið).

So structurally it is: the-goal is simple.

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Why does markmið become markmiðið? What is that -ið ending?

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

• Base noun (neuter, singular, nominative): markmið = goal
• With definite article: markmiðið = the goal

For neuter singular nouns in the nominative, the typical definite ending is -ið (sometimes written -ð after a vowel, but pronounced similarly).

Compare:

• barn → barnið = the child
• borð → borðið = the table
• markmið → markmiðið = the goal

So -ið here simply marks definite, singular, neuter, nominative.

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What gender, number, and case is markmiðið in this sentence?

In Markmiðið er einfalt, the noun markmiðið is:

• Gender: neuter
• Number: singular
• Case: nominative

Reasoning:

• It’s the subject of the sentence (the goal is doing the “being simple”), and in Icelandic, subjects normally appear in the nominative case.
• The ending -ið on a neuter noun in this kind of sentence is the definite nominative singular ending.

So you can label it as: nominative singular neuter definite.

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How does the noun markmið decline? What are the main forms I should know?

Markmið is a regular neuter noun. The most useful forms to remember:

Singular

• Nominative: markmið – goal
• Accusative: markmið
• Dative: markmiði
• Genitive: markmiðs

Singular definite

• Nominative: markmiðið – the goal
• Accusative: markmiðið
• Dative: markmiðinu
• Genitive: markmiðsins

Plural

• Nominative: markmið – goals
• Accusative: markmið
• Dative: markmiðum
• Genitive: markmiða

Plural definite

• Nominative: markmiðin – the goals
• Accusative: markmiðin
• Dative: markmiðunum
• Genitive: markmiðanna

In this sentence we are using nominative singular definite: markmiðið.

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Why is it einfalt and not einfaldur or einföld?

Adjectives in Icelandic must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

• The base adjective is einfaldur (simple).
• markmiðið is neuter, singular, nominative.
• So the adjective must also be neuter, singular, nominative in its weak form (because the noun is definite).

The weak nominative forms of einfaldur are:

• Masculine: einfaldi
• Feminine: einfalda
• Neuter: einfalda

But in predicative position with a neuter subject, the form used is einfalt – this is the neuter form that appears after er when describing a neuter noun like markmiðið.

More practically:

• markmiðið er einfalt – the goal is simple (neuter)
  versus e.g.
• maðurinn er einfaldur – the man is simple (masculine)
• reglan er einföld – the rule is simple (feminine)

So einfalt is the correct agreeing form for a neuter subject in this construction.

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Can I change the word order, like Einfalt er markmiðið? Does that mean the same thing?

Yes, you can say Einfalt er markmiðið, and it is grammatically correct.

• Markmiðið er einfalt is the normal, neutral word order: Subject – verb – complement (The goal is simple).
• Einfalt er markmiðið front-loads the adjective einfalt. This sounds more emphatic or stylistic, something like: Simple is the goal or The goal is simple, that’s the key point.

So they mean essentially the same thing, but:

• Markmiðið er einfalt – neutral statement.
• Einfalt er markmiðið – a bit more marked, rhetorical, or poetic.

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How do you pronounce Markmiðið er einfalt?

Approximate pronunciation in IPA:

• Markmiðið – [ˈmar̥kˌmɪːðɪð]
• er – [ɛr]
• einfalt – [ˈeiːnˌfalt]

Some tips for an English speaker:

• Stress: Primary stress on the first syllable of Markmiðið (MARK-mi-ðið), and on the first syllable of einfalt (EIN-falt).
• ð (the letter eth):
  
  • In -miðið, it’s like a voiced th in English this, but often quite soft.
• ei in einfalt is like the vowel in English day, but a bit tenser and longer.
• The rk in mark and the final t in einfalt are clearly pronounced; Icelandic tends to articulate consonant clusters fully.

Spoken slowly and clearly, it might sound like:
MARK-mi-ðith er EIN-falt (rough approximation in English spelling).

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How would I say The goals are simple in Icelandic, based on this sentence?

Start from the singular:

• Markmiðið er einfalt – The goal is simple.

Now make both noun and adjective plural:

• markmiðin = the goals (nominative plural definite)
• For a neuter plural subject, the adjective also takes neuter plural agreement, which for einfaldur is einföld in this predicative use.

So:

• Markmiðin eru einföld. – The goals are simple.

Changes:

• er → eru (3rd person singular → plural of að vera)
• markmiðið → markmiðin (singular → plural)
• einfalt → einföld (neuter singular → neuter plural form).

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What is the difference between Markmiðið er einfalt and Það er einfalt markmið?

They are related but not identical:

1. Markmiðið er einfalt.

   • The goal is simple.
   • Structure: [Definite noun] + er + [adjective]
   • markmiðið is the subject, einfalt describes it.

2. Það er einfalt markmið.

   • Literally: It is a simple goal.
   • Það is a dummy subject it/that.
   • einfalt markmið is a predicate noun phrase: a simple goal (indefinite).

Differences:

• Definiteness:

  • Markmiðið er einfalt talks about a specific, known goal (the goal).
  • Það er einfalt markmið introduces or describes some goal in a more general or indefinite way (a simple goal).

• Word type after the verb:

  • einfalt alone is a predicate adjective.
  • einfalt markmið is an indefinite noun phrase with an attributive adjective (simple goal).

Both are correct; which one you choose depends on whether you mean the goal (we already know about) is simple or it is a simple goal (introducing or describing one).