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Questions & Answers about Ég þarf penna.
What does Ég mean in the sentence?
Ég is the Icelandic pronoun for I. It functions as the subject, just like I in English.
What does þarf mean, and why is it in this specific form?
þarf means need. It’s the first-person singular present form of the verb, which agrees with the subject Ég — so it translates to “I need.”
Why is there no article (like a) before penna in Icelandic?
Icelandic does not use indefinite articles (such as a or an) in the same way as English. The noun stands alone, and its context indicates that it’s indefinite. Thus, penna means a pen even though there isn’t a separate word for a.
What grammatical case is penna in, and why does its form differ from its nominative form?
penna is in the accusative case because it serves as the direct object of the verb þarf. In Icelandic, masculine nouns often change their ending in the accusative singular. The basic (nominative) form of the noun is penni, which becomes penna in the accusative.
How does the word order in this Icelandic sentence compare to English?
The sentence follows a subject–verb–object order, similar to English (i.e., I need a pen). However, because Icelandic uses cases to mark the grammatical roles of words, the word order can be more flexible without losing clarity.