Questions & Answers about Tölvan og kennslubókin eru á skrifborðinu.
The endings -n and -in mark the definite form, like English “the”.
tölva = a computer
tölvan = the computer (feminine, weak declension → -an)kennslubók = a textbook
kennslubókin = the textbook (feminine, strong declension → -in)
Icelandic usually attaches “the” to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word. So tölvan og kennslubókin literally means “computer-the and textbook-the” → the computer and the textbook.
eru is the 3rd person plural form of vera (to be).
Even though each noun is singular (tölvan = the computer, kennslubókin = the textbook), together they form a plural subject:
- tölvan → it is = hún er
- kennslubókin → it is = hún er
- tölvan og kennslubókin → they are = (and the verb form is just )