Questions & Answers about Strákurinn er feiminn í nýju partíi.
What does the ending -inn in strákurinn mean?
The ending -inn is the definite article “the”, attached to the end of the noun.
- strákur = boy
- strákurinn = the boy
Icelandic usually doesn’t use a separate word like English the; instead, it adds an ending to the noun (and changes it according to case and gender).
What form of the adjective is feiminn, and why that form?
Feiminn is the masculine nominative singular form of the adjective meaning shy.
Adjectives in Icelandic agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case:
- The noun is strákurinn – the boy
- masculine
- singular
- nominative (subject of the sentence)
So the adjective also needs to be:
- masculine, singular, nominative → feiminn
Other basic forms of this adjective:
- masculine: feiminn
- feminine: feimin
- neuter: feimið
Why is feiminn after the verb er instead of before the noun, like “shy boy”?