Vatnið eyðilagði efnið.

The water ruined the material.

Breakdown of Vatnið eyðilagði efnið.

• vatnið: the water
• efnið: the material; subject matter
• eyðileggja: to destroy; ruin

Questions & Answers about Vatnið eyðilagði efnið.

What does the ending -ið mean on vatnið and efnið?

It is the definite article, so it corresponds to English the.

• vatn = indefinite noun
• vatnið = the water
• efni = indefinite noun
• efnið = the material/substance

In Icelandic, the is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word. The exact ending changes with gender, number, and case. Here, both nouns are neuter singular, so you get -ið.

What are the dictionary forms of vatnið and efnið?

The dictionary forms are:

• vatn
• efni

If you remove the suffixed article -ið, you get the basic form you would normally look up in a dictionary.

What gender are vatn and efni, and why does that matter?

Both nouns are neuter.

That matters because in Icelandic, gender affects:

• the form of the definite article
• adjective endings
• pronouns
• some case forms

In this sentence, the neuter gender helps explain why both definite forms end in -ið.
However, the verb does not change for gender here.

What case are the nouns in?