Mosinn er mjúkur, og barnið segir að hann sé eins og teppi.

to be

Breakdown of Mosinn er mjúkur, og barnið segir að hann sé eins og teppi.

• barnið: the child
• segja: to say
• og: and

Questions & Answers about Mosinn er mjúkur, og barnið segir að hann sé eins og teppi.

What is the dictionary form of mosinn, and why does it end in -inn?

The dictionary form is mosi.

The ending -inn is the suffixed definite article, so:

• mosi = moss
• mosinn = the moss

Icelandic usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

With nouns like mosi, the form changes a little when the article is added, so you get mosinn, not mosiinn.

Why is it mjúkur?

Mjúkur is the adjective mjúkur = soft, in the form that matches mosinn.

It agrees with the noun in:

• gender: masculine
• number: singular
• case: nominative

Because mosinn is masculine singular nominative, the adjective is mjúkur.

A useful contrast:

• mosinn er mjúkur = the moss is soft
• mjúki mosinn = the soft moss

In the first sentence, the adjective is used after er, so it is predicative. In the second, it stands directly before the noun, so it is attributive, and the form changes.

Why is the adjective after the noun instead of before it?