Breakdown of Tónleikarnir byrja klukkan korter yfir átta.
átta
eight
byrja
to start
klukkan
the clock
korterið
the quarter (of an hour)
yfir
past / over, across
tónleikarnir
the concert
Questions & Answers about Tónleikarnir byrja klukkan korter yfir átta.
Why is the verb byrja in the plural form when the English translation says "The concert"?
In Icelandic, the word for concert (tónleikar) is always plural, very much like "scissors" or "glasses" in English. That is why it takes the plural "the" ending (-nir to make tónleikarnir) and the plural verb form (byrja).
Where is the word for "at" before the time in this sentence?
Icelandic doesn't use a preposition like "at" when telling time. Instead, you just use the word klukkan (which literally means "the clock"). So, byrja klukkan... functions perfectly as "starts at..." without needing an extra word.
How does korter yfir work here?
Korter means "a quarter" (15 minutes), and yfir means "over" or "past". You place them together right after klukkan and before the hour to say "a quarter past", which is very similar to how it works in English.
Can I use korter to mean a quarter of something else, like a cake?
No, korter is specifically used for a quarter of an hour (15 minutes) or a quarter of a year. If you want to talk about a mathematical fraction like a quarter of a cake or a pizza, you would use a completely different word.
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