Nafnið hans er stutt en nafnið hennar er langt.

to be

Breakdown of Nafnið hans er stutt en nafnið hennar er langt.

• en: but
• stutt: short
• langt: long

Questions & Answers about Nafnið hans er stutt en nafnið hennar er langt.

Why is it nafnið and not just nafn at the start?

Nafn means name, while nafnið means the name.

In English, we say his name is short, and that his already makes name definite. In Icelandic, you have two common options for this idea:

• nafn hans – literally name his
• nafnið hans – literally the name his

Both are used in real Icelandic and both usually translate as his name.

Very roughly:

• nafn hans feels a bit more neutral or written.
• nafnið hans is very common in everyday speech and sounds a bit more colloquial.

So nafnið hans er stutt is a perfectly natural way to say his name is short.

Why do hans and hennar come after nafnið, unlike English his name / her name?