Hljóðfærið hljómar vel.

The instrument sounds good.

Breakdown of Hljóðfærið hljómar vel.

• vel: well
• hljóma: to sound
• hljóðfærið: the instrument

Questions & Answers about Hljóðfærið hljómar vel.

What is the difference between hljóðfæri and hljóðfærið?

Hljóðfæri is the basic dictionary form (indefinite, “a musical instrument”).

Hljóðfærið has the definite ending -ið, so it means “the musical instrument” or simply “the instrument.”

In Icelandic, the definite article (the) is usually attached to the end of the noun as a suffix instead of being a separate word, so:

• hljóðfæri = a (musical) instrument
• hljóðfærið = the (musical) instrument

What gender, number, and case is hljóðfærið here?

In Hljóðfærið hljómar vel.:

• hljóðfærið is neuter gender
• it is singular
• it is in the nominative case

Reason: it is the subject of the sentence, and subjects normally appear in the nominative case in Icelandic.

What is the base form of hljóðfærið, and what does it literally mean?

The base (dictionary) form is hljóðfæri.

It’s a compound:

• hljóð = sound
• færi (related to fár / færi “gear, equipment, means”) = a device / implement

So hljóðfæri literally means , i.e. a .