Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Tveir vinir koma í kvöld.

Icelandic doesn’t use an auxiliary like English here. The single finite verb koma covers both “are” and “coming.” Present tense plus a time phrase like í kvöld naturally gives a near-future meaning. Don’t say eru að koma í kvöld; vera að expresses something in progress right now, which conflicts with a future time.

Why tveir and not tvö or tvær?

The numeral 2 agrees with the noun in gender, case, and number.

masculine nominative plural: tveir vinir
feminine nominative plural: tvær vinkonur
neuter nominative/accusative plural: tvö börn Since vinur is masculine and the phrase is nominative plural, it’s tveir.

How does vinur become vinir?

Many masculine nouns in -ur take -ir in the nominative plural. Core forms of vinur:

singular: nom vinur, acc vin, dat vini, gen vinar
plural: nom vinir, acc vini, dat vinum, gen vina

Where is the article? How would I say “the two friends”?

There’s no separate indefinite article in Icelandic. Definiteness is shown with a suffix:

vinir = friends
vinirnir = the friends With numerals, a definite noun normally precedes the numeral: vinirnir tveir = the two friends. Tveir vinir (as in the sentence) is indefinite: two friends.

How do I say “two of my friends”?

Two common options:

tveir vinir mínir = two friends of mine (descriptive)
tveir af vinum mínum = two of my friends (partitive, from a particular set)

What case are tveir vinir in, and how would it change if it were an object?

Here it’s nominative plural (subject). As an object, use accusative:

subject: Tveir vinir koma.
object: Ég sá tvo vini í kvöld. (I saw two friends tonight.) Dative plural: tveimur vinum (also tveim vinum). Genitive plural: tveggja vina.

What exactly does í kvöld mean, and which case is kvöld?

Í kvöld is a fixed time expression meaning tonight/this evening. Í can take accusative or dative; for this time meaning it takes the accusative. Kvöld is neuter and looks the same in nominative and accusative singular, so you don’t see a change. Related patterns:

í dag (today), í nótt (tonight/last night by context)
but á morgun (tomorrow), á mánudaginn (on Monday)

Can the time phrase come first?

Yes. Icelandic is verb-second (V2), so the finite verb still comes second:

Í kvöld koma tveir vinir. This gives emphasis to the time.

How do I negate it?

Put ekki right after the finite verb:

Tveir vinir koma ekki í kvöld. Other adverbs like aldrei, varla, bara also follow the finite verb in simple clauses.

How do I form a yes/no question from it?

Place the finite verb first:

Koma tveir vinir í kvöld? For wh-questions, put the wh-word first but keep the verb second: Hvenær koma tveir vinir?

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Approximate IPA and tips:

Tveir [tveiːr] (tv cluster; r is tapped/trilled)
vinir [ˈvɪːnɪr] (stress on first syllable)
koma [ˈkʰɔːma] (aspirated k; long open o)
í [iː] (long ee)
kvöld [kvœlt] (ö = [œ]; the ld cluster sounds like a voiceless tl) Whole: [ˈtveiːr ˈvɪːnɪr ˈkʰɔːma iː kvœlt]

If the two friends are women, do I still say tveir vinir?

Grammatical gender controls agreement. Vinur is masculine, so the numeral is masculine tveir regardless of the people’s actual gender. If you want explicitly female friends, use vinkona (fem.): Tvær vinkonur koma í kvöld.

How would I say “Two good friends are coming tonight”?

Add an adjective before the noun; it agrees with the noun:

Tveir góðir vinir koma í kvöld. Here góðir is masculine nominative plural to match vinir.

Can I make the future more explicit?

Yes, though present + time phrase is normal:

Tveir vinir munu koma í kvöld. (will come — prediction/expectation)
Tveir vinir ætla að koma í kvöld. (intend/plan to come)

How do I change the tense?

Past: Tveir vinir komu í kvöld. (Two friends came this evening.)
Perfect: Tveir vinir hafa komið í kvöld. (Two friends have come this evening — context-dependent.)
Ongoing now (no future time phrase): Tveir vinir eru að koma. (Two friends are on their way/coming now.)