bíllinn

Bíllinn is the Icelandic word for “the car.” It is the definite form of bíll, a masculine noun that denotes a motor vehicle. The indefinite form bíll is used when speaking of a car in a general sense, while bíllinn is used for a particular car that has already been identified in context. In Icelandic, definiteness is shown by suffixing the noun rather than by a separate article, so bíllinn literally means “the car.”

In everyday usage, bíllinn refers to a specific car, whereas bíll can refer to any car. Common sentence examples include Bíllinn er nýr, meaning “The car is new.” The word appears in road signs, advertisements, and ordinary conversation, reflecting the central role of cars in Icelandic transport and daily life. A more formal term for vehicle in Icelandic is bifreið, with related forms such as bifreiðir for the plural.

Related terms include bíll (the car in an indefinite sense) and bifreið (vehicle). The Icelandic transportation landscape also features official regulation and licensing overseen by the Icelandic Transport Authority (Samgöngustofa), which administers vehicle registration, safety standards, and related matters.

Overall, bíllinn functions as a standard, everyday linguistic unit for referring to a specific car within Icelandic discourse, while bíll and bifreið offer broader or formal nuances.