Í júní eru kvöldin bjartari en í september.

to be

Breakdown of Í júní eru kvöldin bjartari en í september.

• í: in
• kvöldið: the evening
• en: than

Questions & Answers about Í júní eru kvöldin bjartari en í september.

Why does the sentence begin with Í júní and then immediately have eru before kvöldin?

This is because Icelandic is a verb-second language.

When a time phrase like Í júní (in June) is placed first, the finite verb usually comes next. So the order becomes:

Í júní + eru + kvöldin + bjartari ...

A more neutral order is also possible:

Kvöldin eru bjartari í júní en í september.

Both are correct, but the original sentence puts a little more focus on Í júní.

Why is it eru and not er?

Because kvöldin is plural.

• er = is
• eru = are

Since the subject is kvöldin (the evenings), the verb must be plural: eru.

What does kvöldin mean exactly?

Kvöldin means the evenings.

The basic noun is kvöld, which means evening. In this sentence it refers to evenings in general during June and September.