Fyrsti regndropinn fellur á gluggann.

Fyrsti is the form of fyrstur (first) that agrees with regndropinn.

In Icelandic, adjectives change form to match the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case
• and whether the noun is definite

Here, regndropinn is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative
• definite (the raindrop)

So the adjective takes the matching weak form: fyrsti.

A learner may notice:

• fyrstur = masculine singular nominative, usually indefinite
• fyrsti = masculine singular nominative, weak/definite use

Because the sentence means the first raindrop, not just a first raindrop, fyrsti is the expected form.

The ending -inn is the definite article attached to the noun. Icelandic usually adds the onto the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English.

So:

• regndropi = raindrop
• regndropinn = the raindrop

This is very common in Icelandic:

• gluggi = window
• glugginn = the window

So fyrsti regndropinn means the first raindrop.

The dictionary form is regndropi.

That is the indefinite nominative singular form, which is the form you usually look up in a dictionary.

Here is the breakdown:

• regn = rain
• dropi = drop
• regndropi = raindrop
• regndropinn = the raindrop

Icelandic often builds compound words this way, so once you know the parts, long words become easier to understand.

Yes. Fellur is the present-tense form of the verb falla, meaning to fall.

So:

• að falla = to fall
• fellur = falls / is falling

In this sentence, fellur agrees with a third-person singular subject:

• fyrsti regndropinn = the first raindrop
• therefore: fellur = falls

This verb is not fully regular, so it is worth learning as a pattern:

• infinitive: falla
• present singular form here: fellur

Icelandic often uses the present tense in situations where English also naturally uses the present: The first raindrop falls on the window or more idiomatically The first raindrop is falling onto the window / falls onto the window.

The Icelandic sentence is simply in the present tense:

• fellur = falls

English may choose different tenses depending on style and context, but Icelandic here is straightforwardly present. If you are translating naturally, English might sometimes prefer:

• The first raindrop falls on the window
• The first raindrop hits the window
• The first raindrop lands on the window

But grammatically, Icelandic is just using the present tense of falla.

This is a very common Icelandic question. The preposition á can take different cases depending on meaning.

With á:

• accusative often suggests movement toward / onto something
• dative often suggests location on something

Here we have falling onto the window, so Icelandic uses the accusative:

• á gluggann

Compare:

• á gluggann = onto the window
• á glugganum = on the window

Since the raindrop is understood as moving and striking/landing on the window, the accusative is natural.

The basic form is gluggi, meaning window.

In the sentence, it appears as gluggann, which is:

• masculine
• singular
• accusative
• definite

So:

• gluggi = window
• gluggann = the window (as a direct object / after a preposition requiring accusative)

This form is used because á here takes the accusative.

This is the normal and straightforward Icelandic word order:

• subject: Fyrsti regndropinn
• verb: fellur
• prepositional phrase: á gluggann

So the structure is basically:

• The first raindrop
  • falls
    • onto the window

Icelandic word order is fairly flexible, but this sentence uses a very standard pattern. You could move elements around for emphasis in some contexts, but this version is neutral and natural.

Not in normal usage if you mean the first raindrop.

The usual order is:

• fyrsti regndropinn

The adjective normally comes before the noun. Putting fyrsti after the noun would sound unusual and generally not be the standard way to express this idea.

So learners should stick with:

• fyrsti regndropinn = the first raindrop

There are a few clues:

1. It is in the nominative case.
2. It is the thing doing the action of falling.
3. The verb fellur is singular, matching regndropinn.

So:

• Fyrsti regndropinn = subject
• fellur = verb
• á gluggann = where/to where it falls

In Icelandic, case endings often help you identify sentence roles more clearly than in English.

In this sentence, it is closer to onto the window.

That is because á with the accusative often implies movement toward a surface. A raindrop is not simply located there already; it is falling and coming into contact with it.

So although English may simply say on the window, the Icelandic grammar points more specifically to:

• movement onto the window
• or impact/contact with the window

That is why gluggann is in the accusative.

Yes, effectively. In Icelandic, ordinal numbers like fyrsti (first) are very often used with a definite noun when you mean a specific identifiable item in a sequence.

So:

• fyrsti regndropinn = the first raindrop

This is why you see:

• the adjective in the definite/weak form: fyrsti
• the noun with the suffixed article: regndropinn

That combination is very typical in Icelandic.

A more indefinite version would be:

• Fyrstur regndropi fellur á glugga — but this sounds odd and unnatural in most contexts

In practice, Icelandic strongly prefers the definite phrasing here if you mean the first raindrop in a scene or sequence.

More natural contrasts would be:

• Regndropi fellur á gluggann = A raindrop falls on the window
• Fyrsti regndropinn fellur á gluggann = The first raindrop falls on the window

So for this exact idea, the definite version is the natural one.