Forvarnir eru mikilvægar.

In Icelandic, forvarnir is very commonly used in the plural, even when the meaning is the general idea of prevention. So although English often says Prevention is important, Icelandic naturally says Forvarnir eru mikilvægar, literally something like Preventive measures are important.

This is one of those places where Icelandic and English organize the idea differently. A learner should treat forvarnir as a word that is usually plural in this meaning.

The singular is forvörn.

• forvörn = a preventive measure / prevention in the singular
• forvarnir = preventive measures / prevention in the general sense

In real usage, the plural forvarnir is much more common when talking about prevention as a field or general concept.

Because forvarnir is grammatically plural.

The verb vera (to be) changes according to number:

• er = is for singular
• eru = are for plural

So:

• Forvörn er mikilvæg. = A preventive measure / prevention is important.
• Forvarnir eru mikilvægar. = Prevention / preventive measures are important.

Even if the English meaning feels singular, Icelandic grammar follows the plural noun.

Because the adjective must agree with forvarnir in gender, number, and case.

forvarnir here is:

• feminine
• plural
• nominative

So the adjective also has to be feminine plural nominative:

• masculine plural: mikilvægir
• feminine plural: mikilvægar
• neuter plural: mikilvæg

That is why the sentence has mikilvægar.

You learn the gender from the singular noun:

• forvörn is feminine

So its plural form forvarnir is also feminine. In Icelandic, adjectives and some other words must match the noun’s gender, so knowing the gender of a noun is very important.

It is in the nominative case.

This sentence is a basic X is Y structure:

• Forvarnir = the subject
• eru = the verb
• mikilvægar = the adjective describing the subject

Subjects are normally in the nominative, so forvarnir is nominative plural, and the adjective matches that.

Because Icelandic often leaves nouns without an article when speaking about things in a general sense.

So Forvarnir eru mikilvægar means Prevention is important or Preventive measures are important in a general statement.

If you wanted a definite form, Icelandic usually adds the article to the end of the noun rather than using a separate word like English the. But in this sentence, the meaning is general, so no definite article is needed.

Yes, Icelandic word order is more flexible than English, and Mikilvægar eru forvarnir is grammatically possible.

However, the normal, neutral order is:

• Forvarnir eru mikilvægar.

Starting with mikilvægar gives the adjective more emphasis or creates a more literary or marked style. For most learners, the standard order is the safest choice.

A rough guide is FOR-var-nir.

A few helpful notes:

• The stress is on the first syllable: FOR-
• rv can sound a bit like rb to English ears because of Icelandic pronunciation patterns
• The final -ir is a common plural ending

A very rough English-style approximation might be FOR-var-neer, but that is only approximate. If possible, it is best to hear it from a native speaker or audio source.

A rough guide is MIH-kil-vai-gar.

Helpful notes:

• Stress falls on the first syllable
• æ is pronounced somewhat like the i in my or eye, depending on accent and context
• The ending -ar is a common feminine plural ending

Again, this is only an approximation. Icelandic pronunciation is best learned by listening as well as reading.

Yes. That is exactly why this sentence can feel slightly broader than the usual English translation.

Because forvarnir is plural, the literal sense is closer to preventive measures or prevention efforts. But in natural English, the most idiomatic translation is often simply Prevention is important.

So:

• literal-ish: Preventive measures are important
• natural English meaning: Prevention is important

Yes. Any adjective describing forvarnir must also be feminine plural nominative. For example:

• Forvarnir eru nauðsynlegar. = Prevention is necessary.
• Forvarnir eru góðar. = Preventive measures are good.
• Forvarnir eru árangursríkar. = Prevention is effective.

This is a useful pattern to remember:

[feminine plural noun] + eru + [feminine plural adjective]