Frostið á rúðunni er svo mikið að ég þarf að skafa það af áður en ég fer.

The frost on the window is so heavy that I need to scrape it off before I go.

Breakdown of Frostið á rúðunni er svo mikið að ég þarf að skafa það af áður en ég fer.

• ég: I
• vera: to be
• það: it
• fara: to go

Questions & Answers about Frostið á rúðunni er svo mikið að ég þarf að skafa það af áður en ég fer.

What does frostið mean, and what does the ending -ið do?

Frost means frost, and frostið means the frost. The ending -ið is the attached definite article, which Icelandic often adds directly to the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

Here, frostið is neuter singular nominative: the frost.

Why is it á rúðunni and not á rúðan?

Because á can take different cases depending on meaning. When it means on in a location sense, it usually takes the dative.

So:

• rúðan = the window/pane in nominative
• rúðunni = the window/pane in dative

Since the frost is located on the pane, Icelandic uses á rúðunni.

Does rúða mean window?

More exactly, rúða usually means pane or window glass. That makes it a very natural word here, because frost forms on the glass itself.

If you said gluggi, that usually means window more generally, as the whole window opening/frame.

Why is it mikið and not mikill or mikil?