Word
Ég sé báða tvíburana núna.
Meaning
I see both twins now.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Ég sé báða tvíburana núna.
Why is the word for "both" written as báða instead of báðir here?
The verb sjá (to see) requires its direct object to be in the accusative case. Since the word for twin (tvíburi) is masculine, you must use the masculine accusative plural form of "both", which is báða.
Why is the noun tvíburana in the definite form ("the twins")? English just says "both twins".
In Icelandic, the word báðir (and its different forms like báða) requires the noun following it to be in the definite form. So while we say "both twins" in English, Icelanders literally say "both the twins".
What case is tvíburana in, and how is it formed from the dictionary word?
It is in the accusative plural definite form. The base word is tvíburi (twin), which is a masculine noun. Its accusative plural is tvíbura. Then, we add the masculine accusative plural definite article -na to the end, making it tvíburana.
Why use núna here instead of just nú?
Both words mean "now", but núna is more specific and immediate, meaning "right now" or "at this exact moment". It emphasizes that you are spotting the twins at this very second.