Breakdown of Ítalska er fallegt tungumál.
vera
to be
fallegur
beautiful
tungumálið
the language
ítalska
Italian (the language)
Questions & Answers about Ítalska er fallegt tungumál.
Why does the adjective fallegt have a neuter ending when Ítalska is a feminine word?
The adjective fallegt (beautiful) is describing the word tungumál (language), not the word Ítalska. Since tungumál is a neuter noun, the adjective must take the neuter nominative singular ending -t.
Is the word Ítalska an adjective or a noun here?
It acts as a noun here, meaning the Italian language. Most language names in Icelandic are feminine nouns ending in -a, like enska (English) or franska (French). They originally come from the weak feminine form of the corresponding nationality adjectives.
Are languages always capitalized in Icelandic like they are in English?
No, they are not. Unlike English, Icelandic does not capitalize the names of languages, nationalities, or days of the week. Ítalska is only capitalized here because it is the first word of the sentence.
What is the difference between mál and tungumál?
Tungumál is a compound word made of tunga (tongue) and mál (language or speech). While you can use mál on its own to mean language, tungumál is the most standard, everyday word to use when talking about a specific spoken language.
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