Word
Þeir brjóta aldrei símana.
Meaning
They never break the phones.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Þeir brjóta aldrei símana.
Wait, I thought this lesson was about vowel changes in strong verbs. Why does brjóta look exactly like the dictionary form here?
Because the subject is plural! Strong verbs in the present tense only undergo stem vowel changes in the singular (I, you, he/she/it). For plural subjects like þeir (they), the verb keeps its original vowel and usually looks identical to the infinitive.
What would the verb look like if the subject was singular, like 'He never breaks the phones'?
You would see the vowel change! For this strong verb, the jó in brjóta changes to an ý in the singular. 'He breaks' becomes hann brýtur.
Why does the sentence say brjóta aldrei (break never) instead of 'never break' like in English?
Icelandic follows the V2 (verb-second) rule. This means the main verb almost always has to be the second piece of information in the sentence. Because Þeir is in the first position, the verb brjóta must come second, pushing the adverb aldrei (never) until after the verb.
How do we get from the dictionary word sími (phone) to símana?