Svarið er núll.

Svarið means the answer.

The base noun is svar, which means answer. Icelandic usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun, so:

• svar = answer
• svarið = the answer

So Svarið er núll is literally the-answer is zero.

Because Icelandic commonly uses a suffixed definite article instead of a separate word.

In English, you say the answer.
In Icelandic, you usually say svarið, with the built into the noun.

That is one of the biggest structural differences between English and Icelandic nouns.

Using svar would mean an answer or just answer in a general sense.

Here, the sentence is talking about a specific answer, so Icelandic uses the definite form:

• svar = an answer / answer
• svarið = the answer

So Svarið er núll is natural if you mean a particular answer.

That extra i is part of the normal inflectional pattern of the noun.

The noun is svar, and its definite singular form is svarið. For a learner, the most useful thing is to remember the pair:

• svar
• svarið

In other words, do not try to build it mechanically as svar + ð. The correct full form is svarið.

Er means is.

It is the present tense singular form of the verb vera, meaning to be.

So:

• vera = to be
• er = is

In this sentence, er links svarið and núll, just like English is in The answer is zero.

Here núll is the predicate after er, and it appears in its basic singular form.

In a simple equation or identification sentence like this, Icelandic uses the straightforward form:

• Svarið = the answer
• er = is
• núll = zero

So the sentence works very much like English: The answer is zero.

Yes. Svarið er núll is the normal, neutral word order.

That structure is:

• subject: svarið
• verb: er
• complement: núll

You may also see Núll er svarið, which is possible, but it sounds more marked or emphatic, like Zero is the answer.

So if you are learning the basic pattern, Svarið er núll is the best version to start with.

A rough learner-friendly guide would be:

• svarið: stress the first syllable, something like SVA-ri(th)
• er: a short er
• núll: roughly nootl, but with a special Icelandic ll sound that is not exactly the same as English l

Two useful pronunciation notes:

• ð is a soft th-sound, though in natural speech it can be very light.
• Icelandic ll often has a special pronunciation, so núll may not sound like plain English nool.

Not usually. In ordinary Icelandic, núll most often means zero.

So in this sentence, the meaning is clearly numerical: The answer is zero.

In technical contexts, English null can mean something like empty, invalid, or no value, but núll in a basic sentence like this should be understood as zero.

Svar is a neuter noun, and yes, that matters.

The definite ending in svarið is the neuter singular definite form. That is why the noun looks the way it does.

So it is useful to learn the noun together with its gender:

• svar = answer, neuter
• svarið = the answer

Knowing the gender helps you recognize and build correct forms later.