Questions & Answers about Hvenær koma níu strákar heim?
Why doesn't the number níu change its ending to match strákar?
In Icelandic, the numbers 1 through 4 change their form to match the gender and role of the noun they describe. However, the numbers 5 through 10, like níu (nine), are completely frozen. They stay exactly the same no matter what noun follows them!
Why does the verb koma come before the subject níu strákar?
Icelandic has a strict rule called V2 word order, meaning the main verb is almost always the second piece of information in a sentence. Because the question word Hvenær (when) takes up the first spot, the verb koma (do come) has to jump into the second spot, pushing the boys to the third spot.
I have seen the word for home written as heima. Why is it heim in this sentence?
Heima means that you are already located at home (like saying "I am at home"). Heim is the direction word used when you are traveling towards home. Because the boys are coming (koma) in that direction, we must use heim.
Why are we using koma instead of kemur for the verb?
Koma is the plural form of the verb, which translates to "they come". We use it here because the subject is plural: níu strákar (nine boys). If it were just one boy, you would use the singular form kemur.
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