Reynslan er góð.

to be

Breakdown of Reynslan er góð.

• góð: good
• reynslan: the experience

Questions & Answers about Reynslan er góð.

What are the individual words in Reynslan er góð and their basic dictionary forms?

The sentence has three words:

• Reynslan – the definite form of the noun reynsla (experience)
• er – the 3rd person singular present form of the verb vera (to be)
• góð – the feminine singular nominative form of the adjective góður (good)

So structurally it is: reynsla (the experience) + is + good.

Why does Reynslan end in -an? What does that ending mean?

The ending -an here is the definite article attached to the noun.

• reynsla = experience
• reynslan = the experience

In Icelandic, the definite article (the) is usually attached to the end of the noun as a suffix, instead of being a separate word like in English.

For many feminine nouns ending in -a, the nominative singular definite form ends in -an:

• kona (woman) → konan (the woman)
• bók (book) → bókin (the book; feminine, but different pattern)
• reynsla (experience) → reynslan (the experience)

Why does Icelandic say Reynslan er góð when English says Experience is good without the?