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Nýi stórmeistarinn er maður ótrúlegs sjónminnis.

Nýi stórmeistarinn er maður ótrúlegs sjónminnis.
The new grandmaster is a man of extraordinary visual memory.
From Lesson 449:Describing traits with the genitive case·Icelandic

Questions & Answers about Nýi stórmeistarinn er maður ótrúlegs sjónminnis.

Why are the words ótrúlegs sjónminnis in the genitive case?
This is an example of the genitive of description (eiginleikaeignarfall). Just like in English when we say a man of extraordinary memory, Icelandic uses the genitive case to describe a defining characteristic, quality, or trait belonging to a noun (in this case, maður).
Why does the adjective ótrúlegs end in -s?
It is modifying the noun sjónminni, which is in the genitive case. The word sjónminni is a neuter noun, and the strong neuter genitive singular ending for adjectives is -s. Therefore, ótrúlegur becomes ótrúlegs to agree with it grammatically.
What are the root words that make up the compound noun sjónminni?
It is composed of sjón (sight or vision) and minni (memory). Together they literally translate to sight-memory, which is the standard Icelandic term for visual or photographic memory.
As a quick refresher, why do we use nýi instead of nýr at the start of the sentence?
Because the noun it describes, stórmeistarinn (the grandmaster), is definite, meaning it has the attached article -inn. When an adjective comes before a definite noun, it must use the weak declension. For a masculine singular noun in the nominative case, the weak adjective ending is -i, so nýr becomes nýi.

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