Learn Icelandic: Þetta er hús.

Þetta er hús.

This is a house.

Breakdown of Þetta er hús.

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Questions & Answers about Þetta er hús.

Why is there no word for "a" in this sentence?

Icelandic doesn't have an indefinite article (words like "a" or "an"). When a noun is used in its basic, bare form like hús, it automatically translates to "a house".

Does þetta change depending on the gender of the noun?

Not in this type of sentence! When you are introducing something by saying "This is...", you always use the neuter singular pronoun þetta, regardless of whether the noun that follows is masculine, feminine, or neuter.

How would I change this sentence to say "This is the house"?

You would add the definite ending to the noun instead of leaving it bare. Because hús is a neuter noun, it takes the neuter definite suffix -ið. So, "This is the house" becomes Þetta er húsið.

Why is hús in the nominative case here?

The verb vera (to be) acts like an equals sign connecting two things, rather than an action being done to an object. Because of this, both the subject (Þetta) and the noun it refers to (hús) stay in the nominative case, which is the basic dictionary form.