nauðsynlegir

Nauðsynlegir is the masculine plural nominative and accusative form of the Icelandic adjective nauðsynlegur, meaning "necessary" or "essential." It is used to describe masculine plural nouns or mixed-gender groups and agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case.

In Icelandic, adjectives decline for gender, number, and case. Therefore, nauðsynlegir appears with masculine plural nouns in the nominative or accusative positions. There are corresponding forms for feminine and neuter nouns and for singular versus plural use, and the definite versus indefinite form can affect the ending as well.

The term is common in formal and everyday language to designate requirements, prerequisites, or core elements. For example, one might speak of "nauðsynlegir hlutir" (essential items) or "nauðsynlegir liðir í ferli" (essential steps in a process). It is frequently used in fields such as planning, policy making, medicine, and engineering to distinguish what is indispensable from what is merely convenient.

Etymology and related forms: nauðsynlegir is derived from the noun nauðsyn, meaning necessity, combined with the adjectival suffix -legur. The base word forms other inflections such as nauðsynlegur (masculine singular), nauðsynleg (feminine/neuter variants in some contexts), and nauðsynlegt (neuter singular), among others. This pattern reflects Icelandic adjective agreement rules that tie the ending to the gender, number, and case of the noun it modifies.

See also: nauðsyn, nauðsynlegur, Icelandic grammar.