Questions & Answers about Loftið í borginni er hreint í dag.
What does the -ið ending in loftið mean?
The ending -ið is the definite article attached to the noun loft (air).
- loft = air (indefinite)
- loftið = the air (definite)
In Icelandic, the definite article (the equivalent of English the) is usually not a separate word before the noun. Instead, it is added to the end of the noun as a suffix:
- stóll = chair → stóllinn = the chair
- hús = house → húsið = the house
- loft = air → loftið = the air
So loftið specifically means the air, not just air in general.
Why does borginni end in -inni?
Borginni is the noun borg (city) in the dative singular, definite form.
Breakdown:
- Basic form: borg = city (nominative, indefinite)
- Gender: feminine
- Dative singular (indefinite) of borg: borg → borg (some feminine nouns don’t change form visibly here)
- Add the definite article in the dative singular feminine: -inni
So:
- borg = a city
- borginni = in the city / the city (as an indirect object, location, etc.)