Breakdown of Ræður stjórnmálamannanna eru langar.
vera
to be
langur
long
ræðan
the speech
stjórnmálamaðurinn
the politician
Questions & Answers about Ræður stjórnmálamannanna eru langar.
Wow, stjórnmálamannanna is a huge word! How do we break down that ending?
Why is ræður (speeches) indefinite here? The English translation says "THE speeches".
In Icelandic, when a noun is followed by a possessive in the genitive case (like stjórnmálamannanna), the possessed noun usually drops its definite article. So instead of saying "the speeches of the politicians", Icelandic literally says "speeches of the politicians".
Why does the adjective langur (long) become langar in this sentence?
Adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. Since ræður is a feminine noun in the nominative plural, the adjective takes the feminine nominative plural form, which is langar.
What is the singular form of ræður?
The singular is ræða (a speech). It's a standard "weak" feminine noun, meaning it ends in -a in the nominative singular and changes to -u in all other singular cases (accusative, dative, and genitive). In the plural, it becomes ræður.