Hækkunin er mikil.

Hækkunin is a noun in the nominative singular definite form.

It can be broken down like this:

• hækkun = increase, rise
• -in = the attached definite article, meaning the

So hækkunin literally means the increase.

This is very common in Icelandic: instead of putting a separate word for the before the noun, Icelandic often adds the article to the end of the noun.

Because Icelandic usually expresses the by attaching it to the noun.

So:

• hækkun = increase
• hækkunin = the increase

This is different from English, where the is a separate word. In Icelandic, the definite article is often a suffix.

Er is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb vera, which means to be.

So:

• ég er = I am
• þú ert = you are
• hann/hún/það er = he/she/it is

In Hækkunin er mikil, er simply means is.

Because Icelandic adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

Here, hækkunin is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective must also be feminine singular nominative, which is mikil.

Compare:

• mikill = masculine singular nominative
• mikil = feminine singular nominative
• mikið = neuter singular nominative

So mikil is the correct form because it matches hækkunin.

Mikil generally means big, great, large, or significant.

In this sentence, the most natural English meaning is often something like:

• The increase is large
• The increase is significant
• The rise is considerable

So mikil does not only refer to physical size. It can also describe the degree or importance of something.

Yes. Hækkun is a feminine noun.

That matters because it affects:

• the form of the definite article
• the form of the adjective

That is why you get:

• hækkunin = the increase
• mikil = feminine form of great/large/significant

Hækkun is related to the verb hækka, which means to raise, to increase, or to go up depending on context.

So the relationship is roughly:

• hækka = to increase / to rise
• hækkun = increase / rise

This is a very common pattern in Icelandic: a verb and a related noun are often closely connected.

Yes. Hækkunin er mikil is a completely normal and neutral sentence.

Its structure is:

• Hækkunin = subject
• er = verb
• mikil = predicate adjective

So it follows a straightforward pattern similar to English:

• The increase
  • is
    • large

Yes, but the basic version is the most neutral.

For example, Icelandic can sometimes move words for emphasis, especially in more literary or marked styles. But Hækkunin er mikil is the standard, natural way to say it.

A changed order might sound more emphatic or stylistically marked, so learners should stick with the original pattern unless they have a specific reason to change it.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• Hækkunin ≈ HIGH-kku-nin
• er ≈ eh(r)
• mikil ≈ MIH-kil

A few helpful notes:

• æ sounds roughly like the vowel in eye
• kk in Icelandic is not exactly like English kk; it has a special Icelandic sound quality
• the r in er is lightly pronounced
• stress usually falls on the first syllable in Icelandic words

So the main stress is on:

• HÆKkunin
• MIkil

In this sentence, mikil comes after the verb because it is a predicate adjective, not a directly attached adjective before the noun.

Compare the difference:

• Hækkunin er mikil = The increase is large
• mikil hækkun = a large increase

So:

• before the noun: adjective directly modifies the noun
• after er: adjective describes the subject through the verb to be

Both are normal, but they have different sentence structures.