Questions & Answers about Hjónin borða kvöldmat saman.
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.
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.
Icelandic usually attaches the definite article to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word before it.
- hjón = married couple
- hjónin = the married couple
(-in is the definite ending)
So there is no separate word for “the”; it’s built into the noun:
- English: the couple
- Icelandic: hjónin (not “hin hjón” in normal usage)
In Icelandic, you don’t need a separate “is/are” here. The verb borða already carries all of that information (subject + present tense).
- English: The couple is eating dinner.
- Icelandic: Hjónin borða kvöldmat.
(Literally: The couple eat dinner.)
Icelandic only uses vera (to be) as a separate verb when it is the main verb (e.g. hjónin eru heima – the couple are at home), or in some specific constructions, not to form a continuous tense like is eating.
The basic dictionary form (infinitive) is borða – to eat.
In the present tense, borða conjugates like this:
- ég borða – I eat
- þú borðar – you eat (singular)
- hann / hún / það borðar – he / she / it eats
- við borðum – we eat
- þið borðið – you eat (plural)
- þeir / þær / þau borða – they eat
Hjónin is plural and behaves like þau (“they”, neuter plural), so you use the 3rd person plural form:
- Hjónin borða – The married couple eat / is eating
Icelandic doesn’t have a separate continuous tense (like English is eating vs eats) in normal everyday use. The simple present covers both meanings, depending on context.
- Hjónin borða kvöldmat saman.
can mean:- The couple are eating dinner together (right now).
- The couple eat dinner together (as a habit).
Context usually makes it clear whether it’s happening right now or is a repeated action.
Kvöldmat is the accusative singular of kvöldmatur, a compound noun:
- kvöld = evening
- matur = food, meal
So kvöldmatur literally means “evening food” → “dinner/supper”.
Forms:
- Nominative: kvöldmatur – (a) dinner
- Accusative: kvöldmat – dinner (as a direct object)
- Definite: kvöldmaturinn – the dinner (nominative)
- Definite accusative: kvöldmatinn – the dinner (object)
In this sentence you see kvöldmat because it is the direct object of borða (“eat what?” → dinner).
Kvöldmat is in the accusative case, singular.
Reason: kvöldmatur is the thing being eaten, so it is the direct object of the verb borða:
- Subject (nominative): Hjónin – the married couple
- Verb: borða – eat
- Direct object (accusative): kvöldmat – (the) dinner
In Icelandic, direct objects most often appear in the accusative (unless the verb requires a different case).
Saman is an adverb meaning “together”.
In this sentence:
- Hjónin borða kvöldmat saman.
= The married couple eat dinner together.
You use saman whenever you want to say that people are doing something jointly/as a group:
- Við lærum saman. – We study together.
- Þeir búa saman. – They live together.
The neutral, most natural position for saman here is at the end of the sentence, after the object:
- Hjónin borða kvöldmat saman. ✅
Other positions are sometimes possible, but:
- Hjónin saman borða kvöldmat. sounds marked/poetic/unusual in normal speech.
- Hjónin borða saman kvöldmat. is possible but less natural; the usual pattern is verb + object + adverb.
For a beginner, it’s best to stick with:
Subject – Verb – Object – saman
Hjónin borða kvöldmat saman.
Yes, another common word is kvöldverður.
- kvöldmatur – very common, everyday word for dinner/supper
- kvöldverður – also “dinner”, sometimes a bit more formal or used in set phrases
You can say, for example:
- Hjónin borða kvöldverð saman. – The couple eat dinner together.
Both are correct; kvöldmatur is very safe and common in everyday talk.
Yes, you can say:
- Parið borðar kvöldmat saman. – The (romantic) couple is eating dinner together.
Differences:
Meaning of the noun
- hjónin – specifically a married couple.
- parið – a pair / a couple, usually romantic, but not necessarily married.
Grammar (number and verb form)
- hjónin is grammatically plural → borða (3rd person plural).
- parið is grammatically singular → borðar (3rd person singular).
So:
- Hjónin borða kvöldmat saman. (plural verb)
- Parið borðar kvöldmat saman. (singular verb)
Approximate pronunciation (using IPA and a rough English guide):
Hjónin – [ˈçouːnɪn]
- hj like a voiceless “hy” ([ç])
- ó like English o in “go”, but longer
borða – [ˈpɔrða]
- Initial b is pronounced like an unaspirated p
- ð is like the th in “this”
kvöldmat – [ˈkʰvœltˌmat]
- kv like kv in “kvetch”, but with a clear k
- ö like the vowel in French “peu” or German “schön”
- The ld is pronounced together (often with a slight extra t sound before the m)
saman – [ˈsaːman]
- Long a as in “father”, but held a bit longer
Spoken together, with main stress on Hjón- and kvöld-:
[ˈçouːnɪn ˈpɔrða ˈkʰvœltˌmat ˈsaːman]