Questions & Answers about Hjónin borða kvöldmat saman.
What exactly does Hjónin mean? Is it just “the couple”?
Hjónin literally means “the married couple” (two people who are married to each other).
- The base word is hjón, which is a special noun meaning “a married couple”.
- -in is the definite ending (like English the), so hjón + in → hjónin = the married couple.
- It refers specifically to two people who are (traditionally) married, not just any pair of people.
Is Hjónin grammatically singular or plural? Why does the verb borða look plural?
Hjónin is grammatically plural, even though in meaning it is “one couple”.
- Icelandic treats hjón as a plural-only word (like English “scissors” or “pants”).
- Because hjónin is plural, the verb must also be plural:
- þau borða – they eat
- hjónin borða – the married couple eat / is eating
English often uses a singular verb with “the couple” (the couple is eating), but Icelandic must use the plural form of the verb with hjónin.
Where is the word “the” in this sentence? Why isn’t there a separate word for it?