Ég kaupi bók í búð.

I buy a book at a store.

Breakdown of Ég kaupi bók í búð.

• ég: I
• kaupa: to buy
• bók: the book
• í: to
• búð: the store

Questions & Answers about Ég kaupi bók í búð.

What does each word in Ég kaupi bók í búð. mean in English?

Ég means I; kaupi is the first person singular present form of kaupa (meaning to buy); bók translates as book; and í búð means in [a] store. Notice that Icelandic does not use an indefinite article like a in English—so the bare nouns carry the indefinite sense.

What is the grammatical structure of this sentence?

The sentence follows a basic subject–verb–object (SVO) order followed by a prepositional phrase. Ég is the subject, kaupi is the verb, bók is the direct object (in the accusative case), and í búð is a prepositional phrase indicating the location of the action.

Why is there no article before bók or búð like we use “a” in English?

Icelandic does not have an indefinite article equivalent to a or an. Instead, bare nouns like bók and búð are understood to be indefinite unless context or specific inflection indicates otherwise.

What case is bók in, and why is that significant?

Bók is in the accusative case because it functions as the direct object of the verb kaupi. In Icelandic, the accusative case marks the recipient of the action, much like in other Germanic languages.

Which case follows the preposition í in í búð, and why might the form of búð not change visibly?

The preposition í can govern either the accusative (when indicating direction) or the dative (when indicating location). In this sentence, it indicates where the action takes place, so the dative is used. Often, especially with feminine nouns like búð, the dative singular form may look identical to another case, making the case less obvious from the form alone.

How is the verb kaupa being conjugated in this sentence?

Kaupi is the first person singular present form of kaupa. Like many Icelandic verbs, it undergoes specific inflection to agree with the subject—in this case, ég (I)—which means the form changes according to person and number.