Learn Icelandic: Bollarnir og eplin eru hér. - The cups and the apples are here.

Bollarnir og eplin eru hér.

The cups and the apples are here.

Breakdown of Bollarnir og eplin eru hér.

Questions & Answers about Bollarnir og eplin eru hér.

How does bolli (cup) become bollarnir (the cups)?

First, we make the masculine noun bolli plural by changing the ending to get bollar (cups). Then, to say "the cups", we attach the masculine plural definite ending -nir to the end, giving us bollarnir.

How do we know eplin means "the apples" in the plural and not just "the apple"?

The base word epli is a neuter noun that means both "apple" and "apples". However, the definite endings give the plural away! "The apple" in the singular is eplið, but for the plural "the apples", we add the neuter ending -in to get eplin.

Why are the words for "the" attached to the end of the nouns?

In Icelandic, the definite article ("the") isn't a separate word like it is in English. Instead, it gets attached to the end of the noun as a suffix. That is why "cups" is bollar, but "the cups" becomes the single word bollarnir.

Is there a rule to help remember these different plural "the" endings?

Yes, the ending depends entirely on the noun's gender. Masculine plural nouns usually add -nir (like bollarnir). Feminine plural nouns add -nar, and neuter plural nouns add -in (like eplin).