Viltu sitja á útihúsgögnunum með ullarteppið frekar en að vera inni?

Viltu is the verb vilja in the present tense plus þú:

• vilt = want / want to
• þú = you

In very common spoken-and-written Icelandic, these often combine in questions:

• Viltu...? = Do you want...? / Would you like...?

So Viltu is basically vilt þú, but in the usual shortened question form.

Icelandic does not use do-support the way English does.

English:

• Do you want to sit...?

Icelandic:

• Viltu sitja...?

The finite verb comes first in a yes/no question, so the question is shown by word order, not by adding a separate helping verb like do.

This is a very common learner question.

After vilja, Icelandic normally uses a bare infinitive:

• Viltu sitja...?
• not Viltu að sitja...?

But after frekar en when introducing another infinitive clause, að is normal:

• frekar en að vera inni = rather than be(ing) inside

So the contrast is:

• vilja + infinitive → no að
• frekar en að + infinitive → að is used

Because sitja and setjast are not quite the same:

• sitja = sit / be sitting
• setjast = sit down

So:

• Viltu sitja...? asks about the state/activity of sitting
• Viltu setjast...? would focus more on the action of taking a seat

In this sentence, sitja makes good sense because the idea is about spending time sitting outside rather than being inside.

Because á can take different cases depending on meaning.

Here it means on in a location sense, not movement toward something, so it takes the dative:

• á útihúsgögnunum = on the outdoor furniture

útihúsgögnunum is dative plural definite.

A useful rule of thumb:

• á + dative = location, on
• á + accusative = movement onto/to

Compare:

• sitja á stólnum = sit on the chair
• setja bókina á borðið = put the book onto the table

Because Icelandic and English divide this idea differently.

In English, furniture is usually an uncountable noun.

In Icelandic, húsgögn is a plural noun meaning furniture / pieces of furniture. So útihúsgögn literally looks more like outdoor furnishings/furniture items, even though in English we usually just say outdoor furniture.

That is why you get a plural form like:

• útihúsgögnunum = the outdoor furniture in the dative plural

It is a compound plus the definite ending plus the case ending:

• úti = outside / outdoors
• húsgögn = furniture
• -unum = definite dative plural ending

So:

• útihúsgögn = outdoor furniture
• útihúsgögnunum = on the outdoor furniture / on the outdoor furnishings

Compounds are extremely common in Icelandic, so getting used to spotting the pieces is very helpful.

In standard Icelandic, yes: most learners would expect með ullarteppinu.

That is because með normally takes the dative, and the dative singular definite of ullarteppi is:

• ullarteppinu

So the standard form would be:

• með ullarteppinu

The form in the sentence, ullarteppið, looks like nominative/accusative singular definite, so many learners would rightly notice that it seems off. It is best to treat this as likely nonstandard or a mistake if you are learning standard grammar.

It is another compound noun:

• ull = wool
• teppi = blanket

In compounds, the first part often appears in a linking form, so you get:

• ullarteppi = wool blanket

Then the definite ending is added:

• ullarteppið = the wool blanket

Since teppi is a neuter noun, the definite singular nominative/accusative ending is -ið.

If you need the dative after með, it becomes:

• ullarteppinu

It means rather than.

So:

• frekar en að vera inni = rather than being inside

It introduces an alternative. The sentence is contrasting two possibilities:

• sitting outside on the furniture with a wool blanket
• being inside

A close alternative in Icelandic is heldur en að, which can also mean rather than.

Here inni is an adverb, not an adjective.

It means:

• inside
• indoors

So vera inni means:

• be inside
• be indoors

Icelandic often uses adverbs of place after vera:

• vera úti = be outside
• vera inni = be inside

Yes. Icelandic word order is fairly flexible, and frekar can often be placed earlier for emphasis.

For example, a learner might also see or say:

• Viltu frekar sitja á útihúsgögnunum ... en að vera inni?

That can sound a bit more directly like Would you rather sit ... than be inside?

The original placement is understandable, but Icelandic often allows this kind of rearrangement depending on what is being emphasized.

It is mostly understandable and fairly natural, but one form stands out:

• með ullarteppið → standard grammar would normally be með ullarteppinu

So a more standard version would be:

• Viltu sitja á útihúsgögnunum með ullarteppinu frekar en að vera inni?

Everything else is broadly straightforward Icelandic, and it is a good sentence for noticing several important patterns:

• question word order
• infinitives after vilja
• á with dative for location
• plural húsgögn
• compounds like útihúsgögn and ullarteppi