Learn Icelandic: Þetta er bíll.

Þetta er bíll.

This is a car.

Breakdown of Þetta er bíll.

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Questions & Answers about Þetta er bíll.

Why use the neuter word þetta when bíll is a masculine noun?

When introducing what something is using "This is a...", Icelandic always uses the neuter pronoun þetta as a fixed default. It essentially means "This thing is..." or "This item is...". You do not match the gender of þetta to the noun that follows it in these types of presentation sentences.

Where is the word for "a" in this sentence?

Icelandic does not have a separate word for "a" or "an" (indefinite articles). A bare, dictionary-form noun like bíll simply means "a car" or just "car" depending on what sounds best in English.

If I wanted to say "This is THE car", how would this sentence change?

You would add the masculine definite suffix -inn to the end of the noun, making it Þetta er bíllinn. The phrase Þetta er stays exactly the same, but the noun gets an ending instead of having a separate word in front of it for "the".

How is the double L in bíll pronounced?

In Icelandic, a double ll usually makes a distinct "tl" sound, produced with air escaping down the sides of your tongue. Because of this rule, bíll sounds very similar to the English word "beetle".