Morgunkaffið hennar er alltaf of heitt í fyrstu.

Her morning coffee is always too hot at first.

Breakdown of Morgunkaffið hennar er alltaf of heitt í fyrstu.

• vera: to be
• heitur: hot
• alltaf: always
• of: too

Questions & Answers about Morgunkaffið hennar er alltaf of heitt í fyrstu.

Why is morgunkaffið one word?

Because Icelandic often forms compound nouns where English would use two words.

• morgun = morning
• kaffi = coffee
• morgunkaffi = morning coffee
• morgunkaffið = the morning coffee

So morgunkaffið hennar means her morning coffee.

What does the ending -ið in morgunkaffið mean?

-ið is the definite article attached to the noun. Icelandic usually puts the at the end of the word instead of using a separate word.

So:

• morgunkaffi = morning coffee
• morgunkaffið = the morning coffee

That is why Icelandic does not need a separate word for the here.

Why is hennar placed after the noun instead of before it?

This is a very common Icelandic pattern. Possession is often expressed as:

• noun + definite article + possessive

So:

• morgunkaffið hennar = her morning coffee
  literally: the morning coffee of hers

This sounds natural in Icelandic. English usually puts the possessor first, but Icelandic often puts it after the noun.