Questions & Answers about Skeiðin er á borðinu.
What is each word doing in Skeiðin er á borðinu?
- skeiðin = the spoon
- er = is
- á = on
- borðinu = the table
So the structure is very close to English: subject + verb + prepositional phrase.
Why is the attached to the noun instead of being a separate word?
In Icelandic, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun as a suffix.
So:
- skeið = spoon
- skeiðin = the spoon
And:
- borð = table
- borðinu = the table in the form required here
This is one of the first big differences English speakers notice. Instead of a separate word like the, Icelandic often builds that meaning directly into the noun.
Why is it skeiðin and not skeiðið?
Because skeið is a feminine noun.
The form of the attached definite article depends on gender, number, and case. Here:
- skeið is feminine
- it is singular
- it is the subject, so it is in the nominative
That gives skeiðin = the spoon.
If it were a neuter noun, you would often see -ið instead.