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Við erum tíu.

Við erum tíu.
We are ten.
From Lesson 12:Numbers 1 to 10 (einn, tveir, þrír)·Icelandic

Breakdown of Við erum tíu.

vera
to be
við
we
tíu
ten

Questions & Answers about Við erum tíu.

Does the number tíu change depending on the gender of the people in the group?
No, it stays exactly the same! In Icelandic, the numbers 1 through 4 change their endings to match the gender and case of the noun they describe. However, the numbers 5 through 10, including tíu (ten), never change their form.
Could this sentence mean "We are ten years old"?
Not quite. On its own, Við erum tíu means "There are ten of us" (for example, in a team or a group). To say "We are ten years old," you have to add the word for "years" in a specific form: Við erum tíu ára.
Why is the verb erum used here instead of er?
Because the subject is við (we). In Icelandic, verbs change depending on who is doing the action. You use er for singular pronouns like I, he, she, or it (ég er, hún er). But for "we," the verb to be (vera) becomes erum.
What does the accent mark on the í in tíu do?
It tells you which vowel sound to make. In Icelandic, í with an accent is a completely different letter from i without one. While a regular i sounds like the short "i" in the English word "sit", the accented í sounds like the "ee" in "see".

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