Breakdown of Fyrsti regndropinn fellur á gluggann.
á
on
glugginn
the window
fyrsti
first
regndropinn
the raindrop
Questions & Answers about Fyrsti regndropinn fellur á gluggann.
Why is it fyrsti and not fyrsta or fyrstur?
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.
Why does regndropinn end in -inn?
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.
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