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Hér eru átta börn.

Hér eru átta börn.
Here are eight children.
From Lesson 12:Numbers 1 to 10 (einn, tveir, þrír)·Icelandic

Breakdown of Hér eru átta börn.

vera
to be
hér
here
barnið
the child
átta
eight

Questions & Answers about Hér eru átta börn.

Does the number átta change its form because börn is a neuter noun?
No, it doesn't. While the numbers 1 through 4 change their endings to match the gender of the noun they are counting, the numbers 5 through 10 (including átta) stay exactly the same whether they are counting masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.
The singular word for "child" is barn. Why does it change to börn here instead of getting an ending?
In Icelandic, many neuter words don't add an ending to form the plural. Instead, the vowel inside the word changes. The "a" in barn shifts to "ö" to become the plural börn. You will see this specific "a" to "ö" vowel shift very often as you learn more vocabulary!
Why do we use eru in this sentence instead of er?
Eru is the plural form of the verb to be (meaning "are" for they/them). Because we are talking about multiple children (átta börn), we must use the plural eru rather than the singular er (is).
Does this sentence follow the exact same word order as English?
Yes, it does! For simple statements pointing things out, the structure is identical. Hér (Here) + eru (are) + your subject (átta börn) is the standard, natural way to say "Here are..." in Icelandic.

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