Munnurinn er lítill.

Questions & Answers about Munnurinn er lítill.

Why does the word for mouth end in -inn here?
In Icelandic, the word for 'the' is usually attached to the end of the noun as a suffix. The base word for mouth is munnur, which is a masculine noun. Adding the suffix -inn makes it munnurinn, meaning 'the mouth'.
Why do we use lítill instead of other forms like lítið or lítil?
Adjectives in Icelandic change to match the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe. Because munnur is a masculine, singular noun acting as the subject (nominative case), the adjective must be in its masculine singular form, which is lítill.
Since munnurinn is definite (the mouth), why don't we use the weak form of the adjective?
When an adjective comes after the verb to be (like here with er), it is called a predicative adjective and it always takes the strong form, even if the subject is definite. You would only use the weak form if the adjective came directly before a definite noun, as in 'the small mouth'.
How do I pronounce the double L at the end of lítill?
In Icelandic, a double L is usually pronounced with a soft click or a 'tl' sound, somewhat like the 'tl' in the English word 'atlas'. So lítill sounds roughly like 'lee-titl'.

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