Questions & Answers about Þetta eru þrjár krukkur.
Why is the word for "three" þrjár here instead of þrír?
In Icelandic, the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 change their ending to match the gender of the noun they are counting. The word for jar (krukka) is feminine. Because we are counting feminine objects, we use the feminine form þrjár instead of the masculine form þrír.
Does Þetta mean "these" here? I thought it meant "this".
Yes! When you are introducing or pointing to things, Icelandic uses the fixed word Þetta for everything, no matter the gender or how many things there are. So, Þetta er means "This is", and Þetta eru means "These are".
If Þetta doesn't change to a plural form, why is the verb eru (are) plural?
Even though the pointing word Þetta stays the same, the verb still has to agree with the actual things you are talking about. Since you are pointing out three jars, the verb must be in the plural form (eru), rather than the singular (er).
How can I tell that krukkur is a feminine noun so I know to use þrjár?
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