Breakdown of Byggingarúrgangurinn og grófi úrgangurinn eru hér.
vera
to be
hér
here
og
and
grófi úrgangurinn
the bulky waste
Questions & Answers about Byggingarúrgangurinn og grófi úrgangurinn eru hér.
Why is the verb eru used instead of er?
Because the subject is made of two things joined by og: byggingarúrgangurinn and grófi úrgangurinn. Each one is singular by itself, but together they form a plural subject, so Icelandic uses the plural verb eru.
Compare:
- Úrgangurinn er hér. = The waste is here.
- Úrgangurinn og ruslið eru hér. = The waste and the trash are here.
What does the ending -urinn mean?
It is the suffixed definite article, which often corresponds to English the.
So:
- úrgangur = waste
- úrgangurinn = the waste
The same happens in the compound:
- byggingarúrgangur = construction waste
- byggingarúrgangurinn = the construction waste
In Icelandic, the article is very often attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.
Why is it grófi úrgangurinn and not grófur úrgangurinn?