Gangstéttin fyrir framan húsið er blaut eftir rigninguna.

to be

Breakdown of Gangstéttin fyrir framan húsið er blaut eftir rigninguna.

• húsið: the house
• eftir: after
• fyrir framan: in front of

Questions & Answers about Gangstéttin fyrir framan húsið er blaut eftir rigninguna.

Why is gangstéttin one word, and what does the -in ending do?

In Icelandic, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

• gangstétt = sidewalk
• gangstéttin = the sidewalk

So -in here is the definite article. In this sentence, gangstéttin is feminine singular nominative: it is the subject of the sentence.

Why is it húsið and not just hús?

For the same reason: húsið means the house, while hús means just house.

• hús = house
• húsið = the house

The sentence is talking about a specific sidewalk and a specific house, so the definite form is natural: the sidewalk in front of the house.

Why do the definite endings look different in gangstéttin and húsið?

Because the ending of the definite article changes depending on the noun’s gender and case.

Here:

• gangstétt is feminine, so the definite nominative singular form is gangstéttin
• hús is neuter, so the definite singular form is húsið

So Icelandic does have the, but it does not look the same on every noun.