Questions & Answers about Meðleigjandinn okkar er alltaf mjög snyrtilegur.
Why does okkar come after the noun, and why does the noun have "the" attached to it?
In Icelandic, when showing possession with words like okkar (our), the standard word order is to put the noun first with its definite article ("the" ending), followed by the possessive word. So Meðleigjandinn okkar literally translates to "the roommate of us."
Does okkar need to change its ending to match the masculine noun meðleigjandinn?
No, it doesn't! Unlike adjectives and some other possessive words, okkar and ykkar (your, plural) never change their form. They are actually the genitive (possessive) forms of the pronouns "we" and "you all," meaning "of us" and "of you." Since they just mean "of us," they stay the same no matter what noun they follow.
How do you break down the word Meðleigjandinn?
It's a compound word made of með (with) and leigjandi (renter or tenant). At the very end is -nn, which is the attached masculine definite article ("the"). So it literally means "the with-renter"!
Why does the adjective snyrtilegur end in -ur here?
Adjectives describe nouns and must match their gender and number. Meðleigjandi is a masculine noun. Since we are talking about one roommate as the subject of the sentence, snyrtilegur takes the masculine, singular, nominative ending -ur.