Ég skil verkefnið vel.

I understand the project well.

Breakdown of Ég skil verkefnið vel.

• ég: I
• vel: well
• skilja: to understand
• verkefnið: the project

Questions & Answers about Ég skil verkefnið vel.

What does Ég mean in this sentence?

Ég is the Icelandic pronoun for I. It serves as the subject of the sentence, clearly indicating who is performing the action.

How is the verb skil conjugated, and what does it mean?

Skil comes from the verb að skilja, which means to understand or to comprehend. In this sentence, it is in the first person singular present form, matching the subject Ég.

What does verkefnið represent, and what can its form tell us about Icelandic noun structure?

Verkefnið translates to the assignment or the project. It is a neuter noun with a definite article attached as a suffix. The base form is verkefni, and the ending -ið turns it into its definite form. This demonstrates how Icelandic often expresses the definite article by adding a suffix to the noun.

Why is the adverb vel placed at the end of the sentence, and what function does it serve?

Vel means well and serves as an adverb modifying the verb skil. Its placement at the end of the sentence is typical in Icelandic, where adverbs frequently follow the object, contributing to a structure that is still understandable to English speakers.

What is the sentence structure of Ég skil verkefnið vel, and how does it compare to English order?

The sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object-Adverb structure: • Ég (subject) • skil (verb) • verkefnið (object) • vel (adverb) This order is quite similar to English’s Subject-Verb-Object pattern, which can make the basic sentence structure easier for English speakers to grasp.

Since neuter nouns in Icelandic often have identical forms for the nominative and accusative cases, how do we know verkefnið is the object here?

In Icelandic, neuter nouns like verkefni indeed have the same form for both the nominative and accusative cases when made definite (as verkefnið). However, context and word order clarify its role. In this sentence, verkefnið comes right after the verb skil, which typically takes a direct (accusative) object, indicating its function as the object.

Why is the subject pronoun Ég explicitly stated in this sentence rather than being dropped?

Unlike languages such as Spanish or Italian—where verb conjugations can imply the subject—Icelandic usually requires the subject pronoun to be stated explicitly for clarity. Thus, Ég is included even though the verb form already suggests the speaker.