Spínatið fer í súpuna, en baunirnar fara í salatið.

to go

Breakdown of Spínatið fer í súpuna, en baunirnar fara í salatið.

• súpan: the soup
• en: but
• í: into

Questions & Answers about Spínatið fer í súpuna, en baunirnar fara í salatið.

Why do the nouns have endings like -ið, -nar, and -na?

In Icelandic, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like English the.

In this sentence:

• spínat = spinach

• spínatið = the spinach

• baunir = beans

• baunirnar = the beans

• súpa = soup

• súpuna = the soup

• salat = salad
• salatið = the salad

The exact form of the ending changes depending on:

• the noun’s gender
• whether it is singular or plural
• the noun’s case

So these endings are not random—they carry important grammatical information.

Why is it fer with spínatið, but fara with baunirnar?