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Questions & Answers about Amma og afi koma í kvöld.
Why is the verb form koma used here instead of kemur?
Because the subject (Amma og afi) is two people, so the verb must be 3rd-person plural present: koma. The 3rd-person singular present is kemur.
- Singular: Amma kemur í kvöld. / Afi kemur í kvöld.
- Plural: Amma og afi koma í kvöld.
Is the sentence present or future? How can present tense mean “tonight”?
It’s the present tense, but Icelandic often uses the present to talk about the near future when a time expression is present. With í kvöld (“tonight/this evening”), koma naturally means “are coming (tonight).” This matches English usage like “They are coming tonight.”
Can I use a future auxiliary like munu?
Yes. Amma og afi munu koma í kvöld. is also correct and means “Grandma and grandpa will come tonight.” Using munu can sound a bit more predictive or tentative; the plain present with a time adverbial often sounds more immediate or scheduled.
Why is there no word for “the” before amma and afi?
Family terms referring to your own relatives are commonly used without an article in Icelandic, much like names. So you say Amma og afi, not “the grandma and the grandpa.” If you want to say “my,” you add a possessive: amma mín and afi minn (e.g., Amma mín og afi minn koma í kvöld.).
Are amma and afi capitalized?
No, not in normal usage. They’re common nouns and are written with lowercase (unless they start the sentence). In English we might capitalize “Grandma/Grandpa” when used as names; Icelandic does not do that.
What case are amma and afi in here?
Nominative (they are the subject). Each noun is nominative singular, and together they form a compound subject, which triggers the plural verb koma. You’ll see other case forms in different roles (e.g., “I saw grandma” → Ég sá ömmu; “I called grandpa” → Ég hringdi í afa).
What does í kvöld literally mean, and what case is kvöld?
Literally “in evening,” but idiomatically “tonight/this evening.” With time expressions, í takes the accusative. Kvöld is a neuter noun whose nominative and accusative look the same, so you don’t see a case ending change: í kvöld.
Why í kvöld and not á kvöld?
- Í kvöld = “tonight/this evening” (a specific evening).
- Á kvöldin = “in the evenings” (habitual, generally at evenings).
They’re different idioms: use í for “tonight,” á
- the appropriate form for habitual time (“in the evenings”).
What is the basic word order, and can I start with the time phrase?
Icelandic main clauses are verb-second (V2). Here, the subject is first and the finite verb is second: Amma og afi [1] koma [2] í kvöld. You can front the time phrase; the verb still stays in second position:
- Í kvöld koma amma og afi.
How do I make this a yes/no question?
Put the finite verb first:
- Koma amma og afi í kvöld? If you replace the subject with a pronoun (see below): Koma þau í kvöld?
How do I negate it?
Place ekki after the finite verb:
- Amma og afi koma ekki í kvöld.
What pronoun would replace amma og afi?
Use the neuter plural þau for mixed gender:
- Þau koma í kvöld. If both were grandfathers: þeir. If both were grandmothers: þær.
Is there a difference between í kvöld and í nótt?
Yes. Í kvöld is “this evening/tonight” (the evening period). Í nótt is “tonight (during the night)”—the nighttime hours.
Any quick pronunciation tips for the words?
- Amma: stress on the first syllable; both vowels short (roughly “AHM-ma”).
- og (“and”): commonly like a long “oh” or “o” with a soft fricative; before a vowel it can sound like “oɣ.” In fast speech it may reduce to just “o.”
- afi: stress first syllable; the initial “a” is often relatively long (“AH-vi”).
- koma: stress first syllable; “o” like the “o” in “off” (Icelandic has clear aspiration on “k”).
- í: a long “ee” sound.
- kvöld: the ö is like German “ö” (rounded “e” sound). The final cluster is devoiced; learners often approximate it as “kveult/kvœlt.”