Questions & Answers about Bókin er efst á hillunni.
Why is it bókin and not just bók?
Because bókin means the book, while bók means a book or just book.
In Icelandic, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like English the.
- bók = book
- bókin = the book
Here, bókin is also in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the sentence.
What does er mean here?
Er is the present-tense form of vera, which means to be.
So:
- ég er = I am
- þú ert = you are
- hann/hún/það er = he/she/it is
In this sentence, Bókin er... means The book is...
What does efst mean exactly?
Efst means topmost, highest, or at the top.
In this sentence, it describes the book’s position. It tells you that the book is at the highest point relative to the shelf.
A good natural English equivalent is often:
- at the top