Learn Icelandic: Tekjurnar eru alltaf litlar hér. - The income is always small here.

Tekjurnar eru alltaf litlar hér.

The income is always small here.

Breakdown of Tekjurnar eru alltaf litlar hér.

small / a little (small amount)

alltaf

always

Questions & Answers about Tekjurnar eru alltaf litlar hér.

Why does this sentence use litlar instead of lítið af like the rest of the lesson?

The current lesson focuses on uncountable mass nouns (like water, coffee, or time), which use lítið af (a little amount of). However, the Icelandic word for income, tekjur, is a plural countable noun! Because of this, we don't use the mass quantity phrase lítið af. Instead, we just use the normal adjective for small to describe it.

Why is it tekjurnar eru (the incomes are) when the English translation says 'the income is'?

In English, income is an uncountable singular concept. In Icelandic, tekjur is a feminine plural noun. Because it is plural, you must use the plural verb eru (are). You are literally saying 'the incomes are'. Whenever you talk about income in Icelandic, remember to treat it as a plural word!

Why does the adjective for small become litlar here?

Adjectives in Icelandic change to match the gender and number of the noun they describe. Since tekjur is a feminine plural noun, the adjective must also be feminine plural, which is litlar. If the noun were masculine plural, it would be litlir.

Why is alltaf (always) placed after the verb?

In Icelandic, adverbs of frequency like alltaf usually come immediately after the conjugated verb in a normal statement. Because of the strict verb-second rule, the verb eru must stay in the second position, right after the subject Tekjurnar, pushing the adverb to the third spot.