Setningin er skýr.

to be

Breakdown of Setningin er skýr.

• skýr: clear
• setningin: the sentence

Questions & Answers about Setningin er skýr.

Why does setning become setningin?

Icelandic usually expresses the with a suffix (a “postposed definite article”) attached to the noun.

• setning = sentence (indefinite)
• setningin = the sentence (definite)
  The ending -in here is the definite ending for a feminine singular noun in the nominative.

What gender is setning, and how do I know?

Setning is feminine in Icelandic. Gender is mostly something you learn with the noun, but you can often see it in agreement and endings:

• The definite form setningin uses the feminine definite ending pattern.
• In other cases you’ll see forms like setningu (acc./dat. sg.) and setningar (gen. sg.), which match common feminine declension patterns.

What case is setningin in here, and why?

It’s nominative, because it’s the subject of the sentence. With the verb vera (to be), the subject stays nominative, and the predicate adjective typically agrees with the subject (also in nominative).

Why is the adjective skýr not changing to match setningin (since the noun is feminine)?

It actually is matching. The adjective skýr is one of those adjectives whose masculine and feminine nominative singular forms look the same:

• masc. nom. sg.: skýr
• fem. nom. sg.: skýr
• neut. nom. sg.: skýrt
  So you don’t see a difference between masculine and feminine here, but agreement is still happening.

Does a predicate adjective always agree like this in Icelandic?

Yes—when you say X is Y with vera, the adjective typically agrees with the subject in:

• gender
• number
• case (usually nominative here)

Example (plural feminine):

• Setningarnar eru skýrar. = The sentences are clear.
  Here you can clearly see agreement: skýrar (fem. nom. plural).

Why is the verb er used, and what form is it?

Er is the present tense, 3rd person singular form of vera (to be).
You use er because setningin is singular.

For comparison:

• ég er (I am)
• þú ert (you are)
• hann/hún/það er (he/she/it is)
• við/þið/þeir/þær/þau eru (we/you(pl)/they are)

What would change if I wanted to say “A sentence is clear” instead of “The sentence is clear”?

You’d usually make the noun indefinite:

• Ein setning er skýr. = A sentence is clear. (literally one sentence)

Just Setning er skýr can sound more like a general statement/title style; in normal speech, ein is often used to clearly signal “a”.

Is the word order fixed as Setningin er skýr?

This is the most neutral order: Subject – Verb – Complement.
Icelandic allows some flexibility for emphasis, but with a simple statement like this, Setningin er skýr is the standard, natural choice.

How do I pronounce Setningin er skýr?

A practical guide:

• Stress is almost always on the first syllable: SET-ningin
• ý is like a long ee sound (similar to see), but Icelandic pronunciation is more “tight/forward” in the mouth.
• sk before a front vowel (like ý) is pronounced like [sc] (similar to sky but with a slightly palatal quality).

Rough approximation: SET-ning-in er skeer (with a rolled/tapped r).

Does skýr only mean “clear”?

No—skýr has a few common related meanings depending on context, such as:

• clear / understandable (a clear sentence, a clear explanation)
• distinct / explicit (clear instructions)
• bright / vivid (clear colors)
• sometimes clear as in not cloudy (about liquids or weather, depending on usage)

So in Setningin er skýr, the most natural interpretation is “clear/understandable.”