Word
Þessar bækur eru ekki leiðinlegar.
Meaning
These books are not boring.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Þessar bækur eru ekki leiðinlegar.
vera
to be
ekki
not
bók
the book
leiðinlegur
boring
þessi
these
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Questions & Answers about Þessar bækur eru ekki leiðinlegar.
What does Þessar mean and why is it in this form?
Þessar means these. Icelandic demonstratives agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. Since bækur is feminine plural nominative, you use the feminine-plural-nominative form þessar.
Why is bækur written with “-ur,” and what does that tell us?
Bækur is the nominative plural of the feminine noun bók (book). Strong feminine nouns in Icelandic often form their nominative plural with -ur. The stem vowel also changes (bók → bækur).
Why do we use eru instead of er?
Eru is the 3rd person plural present tense of vera (to be). Because bækur (books) is plural, we pair it with eru. For a singular subject you would use er.
Why is ekki placed after eru and before leiðinlegar?
Ekki is the negation adverb meaning not. In sentences with vera + adjective, the standard position for ekki is immediately after vera and before the predicate: “…eru ekki leiðinlegar.”
Why does leiðinlegar end in “-ar”?
Adjectives in Icelandic agree with the nouns they describe in gender, number, and case. Because bækur is feminine plural nominative, the adjective leiðinlegur takes the feminine plural nominative ending -ar, giving leiðinlegar.
What grammatical case is used for Þessar bækur?
They’re in the nominative case, which is used for the subject of a sentence. Here “these books” is the subject of “are not boring.”
Can we say Bækurnar eru ekki leiðinlegar instead?
Yes. Bækurnar is the definite form “the books.” So Bækurnar eru ekki leiðinlegar means “The books are not boring.” It’s slightly different nuance from “these books” but grammatically correct.
What happens if we drop Þessar and just say Bækur eru ekki leiðinlegar?
You get a general statement “Books are not boring.” It’s perfectly grammatical, but you lose the specific emphasis on these particular books.
How would you pronounce Þessar bækur eru ekki leiðinlegar?
IPA: [ˈθɛːsar ˈpauːkʏr ˈɛːrʏ ˈehkːɪ ˈleiðɪnˌlɛɣar]
Approximate in English: THESS-ar BYE-kur air-oo EK-kee LAY-din-leh-gar
- Þ is like th in thin
- æ like ay in day
- au like oy in boy
Can you invert it to Ekki eru þessar bækur leiðinlegar?
Yes, that inversion is grammatically correct but more formal or poetic. The usual neutral word order is Þessar bækur eru ekki leiðinlegar.