Questions & Answers about Plönturnar lifa ekki lengi án vatns.
Why does plönturnar mean the plants, and what does -nar do?
In Icelandic, the definite article the is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.
- planta = plant
- plöntur = plants
- plönturnar = the plants
So -nar is part of the definite ending here.
Also notice the vowel change:
- singular: planta
- plural: plöntur
That change is just part of how this noun forms its plural.
Why is it lifa and not lifir?
Because the subject is plural: plönturnar = the plants.
The verb lifa means to live, and in the present tense it changes depending on the subject:
- ég lifi = I live
- þú lifir = you live
- hann/hún lifir = he/she lives
- við lifum = we live
- þið lifið = you (plural) live
- þeir/þær/þau lifa = they live
Since the plants is a plural subject, Icelandic uses the plural form lifa.
Why does ekki come after the verb?