Questions & Answers about Vikan er sjö dagar.
How does the plural word dagar (days) relate to the singular form?
The singular word for "day" is dagur (a masculine noun). To form the nominative plural for many masculine nouns that end in -ur, you drop the -ur and add -ar. So, dagur becomes dagar.
Why is dagar in the nominative case here instead of taking an object case?
The verb er (is) acts like an equals sign connecting two things. In Icelandic, the verb vera (to be) always takes the nominative case on both sides. So both vikan (the week) and sjö dagar (seven days) stay in the nominative case.
Why is "the week" written as vikan instead of using a separate word for "the"?
Icelandic doesn't usually use a separate word for "the". Instead, it attaches an ending directly to the noun. The basic word for "week" is vika, and adding -n makes it vikan ("the week").
Does the number sjö (seven) change its form to match the masculine noun dagar?
No. Unlike the numbers 1 through 4, which change their endings depending on the gender of the noun they describe, the numbers from 5 onwards (like sjö) do not change for gender. You use sjö exactly as it is for masculine, feminine, and neuter words.