Bíllinn er hraður.

to be

Breakdown of Bíllinn er hraður.

• bíllinn: the car
• hraður: fast

Questions & Answers about Bíllinn er hraður.

Why does bíll become bíllinn here?

Because Icelandic usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

• bíll = car
• bíllinn = the car

So Bíllinn er hraður literally breaks down as:

• bíll-inn = car-the
• er = is
• hraður = fast

This attached -inn is very common in Icelandic.

Can I say Bíll er hraður?

Yes, but it means something different.

• Bíll er hraður = A car is fast or Cars are fast in a very general sense, depending on context
• Bíllinn er hraður = The car is fast

So the -inn ending is important because it makes the noun definite.

Why is the adjective hraður and not something like hröð or hratt?