Learn Icelandic: Þetta eru stórar spurningar.

When you point things out using phrases like 'This is...' or 'These are...', Icelandic keeps it simple! It always uses the default neuter singular word þetta to introduce the sentence, no matter the gender or how many things there are.

If þetta is singular, why is the verb eru (are) plural?

In Icelandic, when you use þetta to mean 'these', the verb 'to be' matches the actual items you are pointing out. Since the real focus of the sentence is the plural noun spurningar (questions), we use the plural verb eru instead of the singular er.

How do we know the noun spurningar is plural here?

The singular word for 'a question' is spurning, which is a feminine noun. Many feminine nouns form their bare plural in the nominative case by adding the ending -ar, which gives us spurningar (questions).

Why does the adjective stór (big) have an -ar ending here?

Adjectives always have to match the noun they describe. Because spurningar is a feminine plural noun, the adjective also takes the feminine plural ending -ar, becoming stórar. Notice how stórar and spurningar rhyme nicely, which is a helpful clue that they match!