Breakdown of Þeir eru báðir mjög líkir ömmu.
vera
to be
mjög
very
þeir
they (m)
amman
the grandmother
báðir
both (m, f, n)
líkur
similar
Questions & Answers about Þeir eru báðir mjög líkir ömmu.
Why do we use the form báðir here?
Báðir is the masculine nominative form of the word for "both". It agrees with the subject þeir (they), which is a masculine plural pronoun in the nominative case. If the subject were feminine (þær), the word for "both" would change to báðar.
Why does the adjective líkir end in "-ir"?
Why is the word for grandma ömmu instead of amma?
The adjective líkur always forces the noun that follows it (the person or thing you are similar to) to take the dative case. The dative form of the nominative word amma is ömmu.
Why does báðir come after the verb eru?
Just like in English where we say "They are both", Icelandic usually places báðir after the verb when describing a pronoun. Saying "Both they are" would sound just as unnatural in Icelandic.
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