Hann er íslenskur en bókin er ensk.

Questions & Answers about Hann er íslenskur en bókin er ensk.

Why does the word for Icelandic end in '-ur' (íslenskur) but the word for English doesn't (ensk)?
In Icelandic, adjectives change their endings to match the gender of the noun or pronoun they describe. Hann (he) is masculine, so it uses the masculine form íslenskur. Bókin (the book) is a feminine noun, so it uses the feminine form ensk instead of the masculine enskur.
Where is the word for 'the' in this sentence?
Icelandic doesn't usually use a separate word for 'the' like English does. Instead, it attaches a suffix (ending) directly to the noun. The basic word for 'book' is bók, and adding the feminine definite ending -in makes it bókin (the book).
Why aren't íslenskur and ensk capitalized like they would be in English?
Unlike English, Icelandic does not capitalize words for nationalities or languages when they are used as adjectives. You only capitalize them if they start a sentence, or if you are writing the actual name of the country as a noun, like Ísland (Iceland) or England (England).
Does the word en mean 'and'?
No, even though it is short and might look like it serves the same purpose, en means 'but'. If you want to say 'and' in Icelandic, you use the word og.

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