Questions & Answers about Framtíð okkar er góð.
Why is there no separate word for “the” in Framtíð okkar er góð even though the English translation uses “the future”?
Icelandic usually shows definiteness with a suffix, not a separate word like English the.
- framtíð = future (indefinite)
- framtíðin = the future (definite; the -in is the feminine definite ending)
In Framtíð okkar er góð, the noun is indefinite in form (framtíð, not framtíðin), but the possessive okkar (our) already makes the meaning specific: our future. So the separate definite ending is not strictly needed.
You could also say:
- Framtíðin okkar er góð. – literally the future of ours is good, also understood as our future is good.
The version without -in (Framtíð okkar…) is very natural and common; the version with -in adds a slightly stronger sense of “that particular future we’re talking about,” but in many contexts they’re interchangeable.
What is the grammatical gender and case of framtíð, and how does that affect góð?
- framtíð is a feminine noun.
- In this sentence it is the subject, so it is in the nominative singular: framtíð (not framtíðar, framtíðinni, etc.).
- The adjective góð agrees with it: nominative, feminine, singular.