Learn Icelandic: Eru þessar skuldbindingar jafnmikilvægar? - Are these commitments equally important?

The prefix jafn- attaches directly to the adjective mikilvægar (important) to mean equally important. It is a highly productive prefix in Icelandic, meaning you can attach it to almost any adjective to compare things that are at the exact same level, acting much like the English word equally.

Why does jafnmikilvægar end in -ar?

Because it must agree with the noun it describes. Even though jafn- is added to the front, the core adjective mikilvægur still declines to match the feminine, plural, nominative noun skuldbindingar.

What are the root words inside skuldbindingar?

It is a compound of skuld (debt or obligation) and binding (the act of binding). Together they form skuldbinding, meaning a commitment or obligation. Here we see it in the nominative plural form.

Why is the word for these written as þessar here?

Because the demonstrative pronoun þessi (this/these) must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it points to. Since skuldbindingar is a feminine plural noun in the nominative case, the pronoun becomes þessar.