Formal Definite Articles
In everyday Icelandic, you make a noun definite by adding a suffix to the end of the word (for example, kóróna becomes kórónan). However, when reading plaques on a guided tour of a historic state building, you will encounter a more elevated, literary style.
In this formal style, Icelandic uses a free-standing definite article instead of a suffix. This construction is used when an adjective describes the noun, and it consists of three parts:
- The formal definite article: hinn (masculine), hin (feminine), or hið (neuter).
- A weak adjective (usually ending in -i for masculine, and -a for feminine and neuter).
- A bare, indefinite noun (meaning the noun drops its usual definite suffix).
Let us look at how this works with the neuter article hið and the feminine article hin. Notice how the adjective ends in -a and the noun itself stands bare, without any article attached to the end.
For masculine nouns, the formal definite article is hinn. In the nominative case, the weak masculine adjective in this structure typically ends in -i.
Historic Plaques and Descriptions
You will see these formal constructions often on a museum tour, particularly when reading inscriptions (áletrun) or learning about remarkable figures from history.
Even though the vocabulary and phrasing sound elevated, the sentence structure around it remains exactly the same as in everyday speech. You can use these subjects with the conjunctions, relative pronouns, and prepositions you already know.