Questions & Answers about Nýr strengur gerði hljóðið betra strax.
Icelandic does not have an indefinite article. So nýr strengur can mean a new string or just new string, depending on context.
By contrast, Icelandic does have a definite article, but it is usually attached to the end of the noun. That is why you get forms like hljóðið for the sound.
If you wanted the new string, you would normally say nýi strengurinn.
Nýr agrees with strengur in gender, number, and case.
- strengur is masculine
- it is singular
- here it is in the nominative because it is the subject of the sentence
So the adjective also has to be masculine singular nominative, which gives nýr.
Very roughly:
- nýr strengur = a new string
- nýtt hljóð = a new sound
- nýja bók = a new book in a form where bók is feminine and in the accusative
In this sentence, strengur most naturally means string, especially an instrument string, such as on a guitar, violin, or similar instrument.
The word can have other meanings in other contexts, such as cord, wire, or string-like thing, so the exact meaning depends on what is being talked about.