Breakdown of Ég er búinn að telja tvenn gleraugu.
vera
to be
ég
I
að
to (infinitive marker)
gleraugun
the glasses
búinn
finished
telja
to count
tvennir
two pairs of / two (distributive)
Questions & Answers about Ég er búinn að telja tvenn gleraugu.
Why use tvenn instead of tvö for the number two?
Because gleraugu (glasses) is a pluralia tantum noun, meaning it is a word that only exists in the plural form. When counting these types of nouns in Icelandic, you cannot use the standard numbers. Instead, you must use distributive numerals. The distributive numeral for two is tvennir, which takes the form tvenn in this sentence.
Why is the numeral specifically in the form tvenn instead of tvennir?
The numeral has to agree with the noun it modifies in gender, number, and case. Gleraugu is a neuter plural word, and it is in the accusative case here because it is the direct object of the verb telja (to count). The neuter accusative plural form of tvennir is tvenn.
Does gleraugu literally translate to 'glass eyes'?
Yes! It is a compound word made of gler (glass) and augu (eyes, the plural of auga). Just like the word 'glasses' in English, it is always treated as a plural word.
Why use er búinn að telja instead of just hef talið ('I have counted')?
The phrase vera búinn að plus an infinitive verb (like telja) is used to emphasize that an action is completely finished. It is similar to saying 'I am done counting'. Keep in mind that búinn acts like an adjective here and changes to match the gender of the speaker, so a female speaker would say ég er búin að telja.
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