Word
Barnið er með stórt nef.
Meaning
The child has a big nose.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Barnið er með stórt nef.
Why does the sentence use er með instead of the verb hefur for "has"?
In Icelandic, you use the phrase vera með (to be with) to talk about physical features, like having a big nose, or when you are carrying or wearing something. The verb hafa (to have) is mostly used for abstract things or perfect tenses.
How do we get Barnið from the word barn?
In Icelandic, the word for "the" is attached to the end of the noun. Because barn (child) is a neuter word, it takes the neuter ending -ið to become barnið (the child).
What grammatical case is stórt nef in?
It is in the accusative case. The preposition með forces the following words into the accusative when it means "having" or "equipped with" something. Because nef is a neuter noun, its accusative form looks exactly like its dictionary form.
Why does the word for big end in a T (stórt)?
Adjectives must match the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe. Because nef (nose) is a neuter word in the singular, the adjective stór changes to its neuter form, stórt.