Tónlistin róar mig á kvöldin.

The music calms me in the evenings.

Breakdown of Tónlistin róar mig á kvöldin.

• mig: me
• kvöldið: the evening
• tónlistin: the music
• á: in

Questions & Answers about Tónlistin róar mig á kvöldin.

Why is it tónlistin and not just tónlist?

Tónlistin is the definite form of tónlist, so it means the music.

In Icelandic, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of appearing as a separate word like English the.

• tónlist = music
• tónlistin = the music

A learner may also notice that Icelandic sometimes uses the definite form in places where English would simply say music, so context matters.

Why is there no separate word for the?

Because Icelandic usually puts the onto the noun itself as a suffix.

So instead of:

• English: the music

you get:

• Icelandic: tónlistin

This is very common in Icelandic. The ending changes depending on gender, number, and case.

What does róar mean, and what form is it?

Róar is the present tense, 3rd person singular form of the verb róa.

Here it means calms or soothes.

So:

• róa = to calm / soothe
• róar = calms

It is 3rd person singular because the subject, tónlistin, is singular.

Why is it mig and not ég?