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)
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)?
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.