Breakdown of Á kvöldin eru sumir rólegir en aðrir vilja spila.
vera
to be
en
but
spila
to play
vilja
to want (to will, be willing)
á kvöldin
in the evenings
annar
other, another; second
sumur
some (sumir, sumar, sum)
rólegur
calm
Questions & Answers about Á kvöldin eru sumir rólegir en aðrir vilja spila.
Why are sumir and aðrir in the masculine plural form here if we don't know who the people are?
When referring to people in general or a mixed group, Icelandic uses the masculine plural as the default. So, sumir (some) and aðrir (others) are in the masculine nominative plural to mean "some people" and "other people".
Why does the verb eru (are) come before sumir (some)?
This is because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. Since the sentence starts with the time phrase Á kvöldin (In the evenings), the verb eru must take the second slot. This pushes the subject sumir into the third position.
How does Á kvöldin translate to "In the evenings"?
To talk about something that happens regularly at a certain time of day, Icelandic uses the preposition á plus the definite plural form of the noun. Kvöldin is the definite plural of kvöld (evening), so á kvöldin means "in the evenings" or "every evening".
Why is the adjective rólegir (calm) used instead of just róleg?
Adjectives must agree with the nouns or pronouns they describe. Because the subject sumir is masculine plural, the adjective rólegir must also take the masculine plural ending.
Learn Á kvöldin eru sumir rólegir en aðrir vilja spila and more in Icelandic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free