Eldspýturnar brenna ekki, því þær eru blautar.

to be

Breakdown of Eldspýturnar brenna ekki, því þær eru blautar.

• ekki: not
• því: because
• þær: they

Questions & Answers about Eldspýturnar brenna ekki, því þær eru blautar.

What does Eldspýturnar break down into, and why is the attached to the end?

Eldspýturnar = eldspýta (match) + plural ending + the definite article suffix.

• eldspýta is a feminine noun meaning match.
• The -nar at the end is the definite plural nominative form for many feminine nouns. So eldspýturnar literally corresponds to the matches (not matches in general, but specific ones).

Why is the verb brenna written as brenna (same as the dictionary form) here?

Because in the present tense, brenna conjugates like this:

• ég brenni (I burn)
• þú brennur (you burn)
• hann/hún/það brennur (he/she/it burns)
• við brennum (we burn)
• þið brennið (you pl. burn)
• þeir/þær/þau brenna (they burn)

The subject Eldspýturnar is plural, so you use brenna = they burn.

Why is the negation ekki placed after the verb: brenna ekki?

In Icelandic, ekki typically comes after the finite (conjugated) verb in the clause:

• Eldspýturnar brenna ekki = The matches do not burn.

If you negate the second clause, you’d also usually put ekki after the verb:

• þær eru ekki blautar = they are not wet.