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Questions & Answers about Árangurinn er mikill.
What does árangurinn literally mean, and what is the function of the ending -inn?
The base noun is árangur, which means success, (good) result, or achievement.
The ending -inn is the definite article for masculine singular nouns in Icelandic, equivalent to “the” in English. Icelandic usually attaches the definite article to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word in front.
So:
- árangur = success / a success (indefinite)
- árangurinn = the success / the result (definite)
Can I say Árangur er mikill without the -inn? What is the difference?
You can say Árangur er mikill, but it sounds more like a general, abstract statement, such as “Success is great (in general)” or “Success is considerable.” This is not something people say very often in everyday speech.
Árangurinn er mikill is the natural way to talk about a specific success/result that you have just been talking about or that is clear from context. For example, after an exam, a project, or a training plan:
- Við náðum prófinu. Árangurinn er mikill.
We passed the exam. The success is great / The result is very good.
What are the gender, number, and case of árangurinn in this sentence?