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Eru búðir opnar núna?

Eru búðir opnar núna?
Are shops open now?
From Lesson 27:Plural nouns (-ar, -ir, -ur)·Icelandic

Breakdown of Eru búðir opnar núna?

vera
to be
búðin
the shop
opinn
open
núna
now

Questions & Answers about Eru búðir opnar núna?

How do we know búðir is plural?
búðir is the plural form of the feminine noun búð (shop). In Icelandic, many feminine nouns simply add -ir to the end to show there is more than one. Since there is no attached ending for "the", it is a bare noun meaning "shops" in general.
Why is the word for "open" spelled opnar here instead of the dictionary form opinn?
In Icelandic, adjectives have to match the noun they describe. Because búðir is a feminine plural noun, the adjective opinn must change to its feminine plural form, which is opnar.
To make this a question, do you just put the verb first?
Exactly! Just like in English, you can make a yes/no question by putting the verb first. If you wanted to say the statement "Shops are open now", you would just swap the first two words back: Búðir eru opnar núna.
I've also seen nú used for "now". Is núna different?
They both mean "now", but núna specifically emphasizes "right now" or at this exact moment. It is very common in everyday spoken Icelandic, whereas nú is sometimes used more generally or even as a filler word.

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