Learn Icelandic: Er þetta nýjasta fasteignin í hverfinu? - Is this the newest property in the neighborhood?

Er þetta nýjasta fasteignin í hverfinu?

Is this the newest property in the neighborhood?

Breakdown of Er þetta nýjasta fasteignin í hverfinu?

in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)

Questions & Answers about Er þetta nýjasta fasteignin í hverfinu?

Why is the adjective nýjasta and not nýjasti or nýjast?

Because it modifies fasteignin (the property), which is a feminine noun. When a superlative adjective is used with a definite noun (meaning "the newest..."), it uses the weak declension. For a feminine noun in the nominative case, that weak ending is -a, making it nýjasta.

Is there no separate word for "the" before nýjasta fasteignin?

That is right! In Icelandic, the definiteness is built into the words themselves. The noun has the definite suffix attached to the end (fasteign-in), and the adjective takes the weak form (nýjasta). Together, they translate to "the newest property" without needing a separate word for "the".

Since fasteignin is feminine, why do we use the neuter word þetta for "this"?

When introducing something with phrases like "This is..." or "Is this...", Icelandic always uses the generic neuter pronoun þetta. It does not change to match the gender of the noun it is introducing.

Why does hverfinu end in -nu?

Hverfi (neighborhood) is a neuter noun. The preposition í takes the dative case when it describes a static location (where something is, rather than where it is going). The definite dative ending for a neuter noun is -nu, giving us hverfinu.