Breakdown of Við þurfum sjötíu eða áttatíu epli.
við
we
þurfa
to need
eplið
the apple
eða
or
sjötíu
seventy
áttatíu
eighty
Questions & Answers about Við þurfum sjötíu eða áttatíu epli.
Do the numbers sjötíu and áttatíu change endings to match the noun epli?
No. While the numbers 1 through 4 change endings to match the gender and case of the noun they describe, the "tens" from 30 to 90 (like sjötíu and áttatíu) are indeclinable. They never change form, no matter what noun follows them!
What does the ending -tíu mean in these numbers?
The suffix -tíu means "tens" and is exactly the same as the stand-alone word tíu (ten). Just like English "eighty" historically means "eight tens", áttatíu literally combines átta (eight) and tíu (ten). The same goes for sjötíu (sjö + tíu).
Why doesn't the word epli have a plural ending here?
Epli (apple) is a neuter noun. In Icelandic, many neuter nouns look exactly the same in the singular and the plural when they are in the nominative or accusative cases. So, "one apple" is eitt epli, and "eighty apples" is áttatíu epli.
Which case is the word epli in, and why?
It is in the accusative case because the verb þurfa (to need) always forces the thing being needed into the accusative. Because epli is a neuter word, its accusative form looks identical to its nominative form, so you don't see a visible change to the word.
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