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Questions & Answers about Hjólarinn er ungur.
How does the suffix -ari create the word hjólari?
Why does hjólarinn end in -nn instead of -inn for "the"?
Masculine nouns that end in -i, which includes all -ari agent nouns, drop the i from the standard masculine definite article -inn. So instead of the clunky "hjólari-inn", it merges smoothly to become hjólarinn.
How is hjólari connected to the basic word for a bike?
They share the same root. The base noun is hjól, which means wheel or bicycle. From that, we get the verb hjóla (to cycle). Finally, adding the -ari suffix to the verb gives us the person performing the action: hjólari.
Why does the adjective ungur end in -ur here?
Adjectives in Icelandic must match the noun they describe in gender, number, and case, even when separated by the verb vera (to be). Since hjólarinn is a masculine, singular subject in the nominative case, the adjective takes the standard masculine nominative ending -ur to become ungur.