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Learn Hardcore Icelandic: Báðar koma í kvöld. - They are both coming tonight.

Hardcore Icelandic
/Lesson 42
/Báðar koma í kvöld.

Báðar koma í kvöld.

Word

Báðar koma í kvöld.

Meaning

They are both coming tonight.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Icelandic

Lesson

Breakdown of Báðar koma í kvöld.

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Questions & Answers about Báðar koma í kvöld.

What does báðar mean here?

Báðar means both, but specifically for two feminine people or things.

So this sentence is understood as something like Both of them are coming tonight, where them refers to two feminine nouns or two women/girls.

Why is it báðar and not báðir or bæði?

Because báðir changes form to match gender, number, and case.

Here it is:

plural
nominative
feminine

The nominative plural forms are:

báðir = masculine
báðar = feminine
bæði = neuter

So if the two people are women, or the two things are represented by a feminine noun, báðar is the correct form.

Is there a hidden subject in this sentence?

Yes, in a sense.

Icelandic often allows a word like báðar to stand on its own as the subject, without adding a separate pronoun. So Báðar koma í kvöld is a complete sentence.

In English, we usually need to say Both are coming tonight or They are both coming tonight. In Icelandic, báðar can do that job by itself.

Why is the verb koma plural?

Because the subject is plural: báðar = both, meaning two people/things.

The verb koma is the present plural form of koma = to come.

Compare:

Hún kemur = She comes / is coming
Þær koma = They come / are coming
Báðar koma = Both come / are coming

So the plural verb matches the plural subject.

What case is báðar in here?

It is in the nominative plural feminine.

That is because it is the subject of the sentence, and subjects are usually in the nominative in Icelandic.

So:

báðar = nominative plural feminine
used as the subject of koma

Why is there no pronoun like þær?

Because it is not necessary.

Icelandic can say:

Báðar koma í kvöld. = Both are coming tonight.
Þær koma báðar í kvöld. = They are both coming tonight.

Both are possible, but the first version is shorter and very natural when the meaning is clear from context.

Does this sentence mean present time or future time?

Grammatically, koma is in the present tense, but the sentence refers to the future because of the time expression í kvöld.

This is very common in Icelandic, just as in English:

They come tonight can mean a future event in some contexts
Icelandic does this very naturally with the present tense

So Báðar koma í kvöld means something like Both are coming tonight or Both will come tonight, depending on context.

What does í kvöld literally mean?

Literally, í kvöld means in evening / this evening / tonight.

It is a fixed time expression:

í dag = today
í kvöld = tonight / this evening
í nótt = tonight / during the night

In this sentence, í kvöld is best understood as tonight.

Can the word order change?

Yes, but the meaning and emphasis may shift a little.

For example:

Báðar koma í kvöld. = Both are coming tonight.
Þær koma báðar í kvöld. = They are both coming tonight.
Í kvöld koma báðar. = Tonight, both are coming.

Icelandic word order is more flexible than English, but not random. The original sentence sounds natural and straightforward.

How do I pronounce Báðar koma í kvöld?

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

Báðar ≈ BOW-thar
koma ≈ KOH-ma
í kvöld ≈ ee KVELT

A few useful notes:

á sounds like ow in cow
ð is like the th in this
kvöld ends with a clear lt sound

This is only an approximation, but it is a helpful starting point.

Can báðar refer to things as well as people?

Yes.

It can refer to:

two women/girls
two feminine nouns

For example, if you were talking about two feminine nouns such as particular objects, ideas, or institutions, báðar could still be correct, as long as the nouns are grammatically feminine.

So the form depends on grammatical gender, not only on biological sex.

What is the dictionary form of báðar?

The dictionary form is usually given as báðir.

That is the masculine nominative plural form, but dictionaries often list adjectives and pronoun-like words under one standard form. From that base form, you learn the other forms:

báðir = masculine plural nominative
báðar = feminine plural nominative
bæði = neuter plural nominative

So when you see báðar, you should connect it back to the word báðir meaning both.

Would Bæði koma í kvöld mean the same thing?

Not exactly.

Bæði is the neuter form, so it would only be correct if the two things referred to were neuter plural.

So:

Báðar koma í kvöld = both feminine
Báðir koma í kvöld = both masculine
Bæði koma í kvöld = both neuter

You have to choose the form that matches the gender of what you are talking about.

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