Góðir gestir koma stundum seinna.

Breakdown of Góðir gestir koma stundum seinna.

góður
good
koma
to come
stundum
sometimes
seinna
later
gesturinn
the guest (m)

Questions & Answers about Góðir gestir koma stundum seinna.

How do we get gestir from the singular word for guest?
The singular word for guest is gestur, which is a masculine noun. To make it a plural bare noun (meaning 'guests' instead of 'the guests'), we drop the -ur ending and add -ir. This is a very common pattern for masculine nouns.
Why is the adjective góðir instead of just góð?
In Icelandic, adjectives have to match the noun they describe. Since gestir is masculine and plural, the adjective also has to take the masculine plural ending, which is -ir, making it góðir.
Why is the verb koma used here instead of kemur?
Because the subject is plural. Kemur is the singular form (he, she, or it comes), but since we are talking about gestir (guests), we use the plural form. For most verbs, the plural form for 'they' looks exactly like the dictionary form, which is koma.
Does seinna mean 'late' or 'later'?
It specifically means 'later'. The basic word for 'late' is seint. By changing it to seinna, you are using the comparative form, just like adding '-er' to 'late' in English.

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