Breakdown of Tárin eru í augunum.
vera
to be
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
augað
the eye
tárið
the tear
Questions & Answers about Tárin eru í augunum.
How is the word auga declined to get augunum here?
Auga is one of the few weak neuter nouns in Icelandic. In the plural, the base form is augu, which changes to augum in the dative case. Since we need the definite form ('the eyes'), we attach the dative plural definite article -num, resulting in augunum.
Why does í take the dative case in this sentence?
The preposition í governs the dative case when it describes a fixed location or state of rest (where something is). Since the tears are already in the eyes, we use the dative augunum. If they were moving into the eyes, í would take the accusative case.
Is tár (tear) also a weak neuter noun like auga?
No, tár is a strong neuter noun. Strong neuters typically have the same form in the singular and plural nominative, which is why the plural is just tár. Adding the plural definite article gives us tárin. The weak neuters in this lesson, like auga, have distinct plural endings like augu.
The translation says 'in the eyes', but in English we'd usually say 'in my/his eyes'. Is this typical in Icelandic?
Yes! When talking about body parts, Icelandic strongly prefers using the definite article (here, augunum) rather than possessive pronouns (like mínum or hans), as long as it's obvious from the context whose body part is being referred to.
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