Diskurinn er í uppþvottavélinni.

The plate is in the dishwasher.

Breakdown of Diskurinn er í uppþvottavélinni.

• vera: to be
• í: in
• uppþvottavélin: the dishwasher
• diskurinn: the plate

Questions & Answers about Diskurinn er í uppþvottavélinni.

Why is it diskurinn and not diskur?

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

• diskur = a plate / a disk
• diskurinn = the plate / the disk

In Icelandic, the is usually not a separate word like in English. Instead, it is added to the end of the noun.

Why is it uppþvottavélinni and not just uppþvottavél?

For two reasons:

1. It is definite:

   • uppþvottavél = a dishwasher
   • uppþvottavélin = the dishwasher

2. After í in this sentence, the noun is in the dative case because it expresses location.

So:

• uppþvottavélin = nominative definite
• uppþvottavélinni = dative definite

That is why you see the ending -inni here.

Why does í cause this form? Doesn't í just mean in?

Yes, í usually means in, but in Icelandic prepositions often control a grammatical case.

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