Hléið er stutt, svo við drekkum vatn strax.

to be

Breakdown of Hléið er stutt, svo við drekkum vatn strax.

• drekka: to drink
• vatn: the water
• við: we

Questions & Answers about Hléið er stutt, svo við drekkum vatn strax.

Why does hlé become hléið here?

Because -ið is the definite article attached to the noun.

• hlé = a break / break
• hléið = the break

In Icelandic, the word for the is usually added to the end of the noun instead of written as a separate word.

So:

• hlé → break
• hléið → the break

That makes Hléið er stutt literally The break is short.

Why is it stutt and not stuttur?

Because the adjective has to agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

The noun hlé is neuter singular, so the adjective also takes the neuter singular form:

• masculine: stuttur
• feminine: stutt
• neuter: stutt

So:

• hlé is neuter
• therefore stutt is the correct form

This is a very common feature of Icelandic: adjectives change form depending on the noun they describe.

How do we know that hlé is neuter?