Questions & Answers about Þetta er bíllinn hans Jóns.
Why is the word hans included before Jóns?
In conversational Icelandic, it is standard to express possession with proper names by using the possessive pronoun (hans for males, hennar for females) followed by the person's name in the genitive case. You are essentially saying "the car of his, Jón's".
Why does bíll take the definite article -inn here?
Whenever you place a possessive pronoun (like hans, minn, or þinn) immediately after a noun, that noun must be in its definite form. Because this phrase puts the possessive hans Jóns after the noun, bíll must become bíllinn.
Could I drop hans and just say Þetta er bíll Jóns?
You could, but it sounds much more formal and is mostly restricted to written Icelandic. For everyday speech, the structure seen in this sentence is by far the most natural way to express that something belongs to a specific person. Notice that in the formal version, the noun remains indefinite (bíll).
Since bíll is a masculine noun, why does the sentence start with the neuter word Þetta?
When introducing or pointing out a new subject with the phrase "this is", Icelandic always uses the neuter singular pronoun þetta, regardless of the gender of the noun that follows. You would only use the masculine þessi if the pronoun were directly attached to the noun as an adjective, as in Þessi bíll er hans (This car is his).
Learn Þetta er bíllinn hans Jóns and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free