Questions & Answers about Enginn þeirra kemur í kvöld.
What does enginn do in this sentence?
Why is it enginn and not some other form like engin, ekkert, or engir?
Enginn changes for gender, number, and case.
Here it is:
- nominative because it is the subject
- singular because Icelandic treats none in this construction as grammatically singular
- masculine for a masculine or mixed/unspecified group
Other forms are used in other situations:
- engin for feminine
- ekkert for neuter
- engir if you are directly modifying a plural masculine noun, as in Engir gestir koma = No guests are coming
So enginn þeirra is none of them, not no people with an expressed plural noun.
Why is þeirra used here, and what case is it?
Þeirra is the genitive plural form of the 3rd-person pronoun they.
After words like enginn, Icelandic often uses a partitive genitive:
- enginn þeirra = none of them
- literally something like none of-them
This is why you do not get þeir here. Þeir is nominative and means they, but the sentence needs the genitive form þeirra.
Why is the verb kemur singular when them refers to several people?
Because the grammatical subject is enginn, and enginn is singular.
So Icelandic uses:
- enginn ... kemur = none ... comes
Even though the meaning involves a group, the verb agrees with enginn, not with þeirra.
What is the dictionary form of kemur?
The dictionary form is koma, meaning to come.
Kemur is the 3rd person singular present tense form:
- ég kem
- þú kemur
- hann/hún/það kemur
So here kemur matches the singular subject enginn.
Why is the present tense used if the sentence is about tonight?
Icelandic often uses the present tense for future meaning when the time is already clear from context.
Because the sentence includes í kvöld (tonight), kemur can naturally mean:
- comes tonight
- is coming tonight
- will come tonight
This is very normal in Icelandic.
What exactly does í kvöld mean?
Í kvöld is a common time expression meaning tonight / this evening.
It functions as an adverbial phrase telling you when the action happens:
- kemur í kvöld = comes tonight
You should learn it as a fixed everyday expression.
Could I also say Enginn af þeim kemur í kvöld?
Yes. Enginn af þeim kemur í kvöld is also possible and means the same thing.
The difference is mainly structural:
- enginn þeirra uses the genitive directly
- enginn af þeim uses the preposition af
- dative
Both are used, but enginn þeirra is a very standard and compact way to say none of them.
Do I need to add ekki to make the sentence negative?
No. Enginn already makes the sentence negative.
So:
- Enginn þeirra kemur í kvöld = correct
If you add ekki, you are no longer saying the same thing, and the sentence becomes awkward or changes meaning. For this idea, enginn by itself is enough.
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