Verslunarmiðstöðin er stór og full af fólki á laugardögum.

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Breakdown of Verslunarmiðstöðin er stór og full af fólki á laugardögum.

• stór: big
• á: on
• og: and

Questions & Answers about Verslunarmiðstöðin er stór og full af fólki á laugardögum.

What does Verslunarmiðstöðin literally mean, and how is this long word built?

Verslunarmiðstöðin is a compound word with a definite-article ending:

• verslun = shop, trade, commerce
• verslunar- = genitive of verslun, used as a linking form in compounds
• miðstöð = center, hub
• verslunarmiðstöð = shopping center / mall
• -in = the (definite article, feminine singular nominative)

So verslunarmiðstöðin literally means “the shopping center” / “the shopping mall.”

Why is there no separate word for “the” in this Icelandic sentence?

Icelandic usually attaches the definite article as an ending instead of using a separate word:

• verslunarmiðstöð = a shopping center
• verslunarmiðstöðin = the shopping center

The -in at the end is the feminine singular nominative definite article.
So the is there; it is just glued onto the noun.

What gender is verslunarmiðstöðin, and why does that matter?