Learn Icelandic: Margir íbúar vinna hér. - Many inhabitants work here.

Margir íbúar vinna hér.

Many inhabitants work here.

Breakdown of Margir íbúar vinna hér.

hér

here

vinna

to work (general labor, to do work)

Questions & Answers about Margir íbúar vinna hér.

Why do we use Margir instead of just margur?

Margir is the masculine plural form of the adjective margur (many). Because it describes íbúar (inhabitants), which is a masculine plural noun, it must match it in gender, case, and number.

What is the singular form of íbúar?

The singular is íbúi (an inhabitant). It is a weak masculine noun, meaning it ends in a vowel in all its singular forms, and its nominative plural usually adds -ar to become íbúar.

Why does the verb vinna look exactly like the infinitive (dictionary) form?

In Icelandic, the present tense plural for the third person (they) is almost always identical to the infinitive form. Since íbúar represents a plural subject (they), the verb takes the form vinna rather than a singular conjugated form.

How would I replace Margir with a large number, like "Two thousand", to practice this lesson's topic?

You would say Tvö þúsund íbúar vinna hér. A tricky thing to remember is that the word þúsund (thousand) is a neuter noun. Even though íbúar is masculine, you must use the neuter word for two (tvö) to match þúsund.