Plastumbúðirnar eru tómar.

The plastic packaging is empty.

Breakdown of Plastumbúðirnar eru tómar.

• vera: to be
• tóm: empty
• plastumbúðirnar: the plastic packaging

Questions & Answers about Plastumbúðirnar eru tómar.

What is plastumbúðirnar made up of?

It is a compound noun plus the definite article:

• plast = plastic
• umbúðir = packaging / wrappings / containers
• -nar = the for a feminine plural noun

So plastumbúðirnar literally breaks down as the plastic packaging or the plastic containers/wrappings, depending on context.

Why does plastumbúðirnar end in -nar?

Because Icelandic usually puts the definite article on the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

Here:

• plastumbúðir = plastic packaging / plastic wrappings
• plastumbúðirnar = the plastic packaging / wrappings

The ending -nar is the definite article used here with a feminine plural noun in the nominative.

Is umbúðir plural? Can it be singular?

Yes, umbúðir is plural, and it is very often used in the plural when talking about packaging or wrappings in a general sense.

A singular form umbúð does exist, but it usually refers to a single wrapper, package, or covering. In everyday usage, when people mean packaging, the plural umbúðir is very common.