Breakdown of Viðskiptavinirnir voru að bíða í röð þegar verslunin opnaði.
vera
to be
í
in
þegar
when
opna
to open
Questions & Answers about Viðskiptavinirnir voru að bíða í röð þegar verslunin opnaði.
What does the ending -nir in Viðskiptavinirnir mean?
-nir is the definite article suffix for masculine plural nominative nouns.
So viðskiptavinir = customers (indefinite), while viðskiptavinirnir = the customers.
Why is it viðskiptavinir (with -ir) and not some other plural ending?
Viðskiptavinur is a common masculine noun whose nominative plural typically ends in -ir.
So the base forms here are:
- singular: viðskiptavinur
- plural: viðskiptavinir
- definite plural: viðskiptavinirnir
Why is it voru and not var?
Because the subject Viðskiptavinirnir is plural.
The past tense of vera (to be) agrees in number:
- var = was (singular)
- voru = were (plural)
What is the grammar behind ?