Log inSign up

Þetta eru tíu spurningar.

Þetta eru tíu spurningar.
These are ten questions.
From Lesson 27:Plural nouns (-ar, -ir, -ur)·Icelandic

Breakdown of Þetta eru tíu spurningar.

þetta
this
vera
to be
tíu
ten
spurningin
the question (f)

Questions & Answers about Þetta eru tíu spurningar.

Why do we use Þetta (this) when the English translation says "These"?
When pointing things out or saying "This is" or "These are", Icelandic always uses the neutral singular word þetta. It does not matter if the noun is plural! The verb eru (are) does change to plural to match the noun.
How does the word spurningar show that it is plural?
The singular word for "question" is spurning. It is a feminine noun. Most feminine nouns that end in -ing make their plural by adding -ar to the end, giving us spurningar.
Does the number tíu need a feminine ending to match spurningar?
No, it does not. In Icelandic, only the numbers one, two, three, and four change to match the gender of the noun they are counting. The number tíu (ten) and all numbers from five upwards stay exactly the same.
Is spurningar a bare noun, or does it have the word "the" attached?
This is the bare plural form, meaning it just translates to "questions" rather than "the questions". If we wanted to say "the questions" in Icelandic, we would add the definite ending to make it spurningarnar.

Learn Þetta eru tíu spurningar and more in Icelandic

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Icelandic →