Ég kaupi brauð og mjólk.

I buy bread and milk.

Breakdown of Ég kaupi brauð og mjólk.

• ég: I
• brauð: the bread
• kaupa: to buy
• og: and
• mjólk: the milk

Questions & Answers about Ég kaupi brauð og mjólk.

What is the word order of the sentence "Ég kaupi brauð og mjólk"?

Icelandic simple sentences typically follow a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) pattern. In this sentence, Ég is the subject, kaupi is the verb, and brauð og mjólk is the compound object. In addition, Icelandic main clauses generally adhere to the V2 (verb-second) rule, meaning the finite verb appears in the second position.

How is the verb kaupa conjugated in this sentence, and how do I know that kaupi means "I buy"?

The verb kaupa (to buy) is conjugated according to the subject. In the present tense, kaupi is the first person singular form used with ég (I). For example, you would say þú kaupir for "you buy" and hann/hún kaupir for "he/she buys." Recognizing these patterns makes it clear that kaupi translates to "I buy."

Why are there no articles before the nouns brauð and mjólk?

In Icelandic, definiteness is usually indicated by attaching a suffix directly to the noun rather than by using a separate article. The forms brauð and mjólk are in their indefinite forms. If you wanted to express the definite forms (meaning "the bread" and "the milk"), you would use brauðið and mjólkin, respectively.

What grammatical case are brauð and mjólk in, and why?

Since brauð and mjólk are the direct objects of the verb kaupi, they are in the accusative case. In Icelandic, neuter nouns like brauð often have the same form in the nominative and accusative, while feminine nouns like mjólk typically do not change in the indefinite accusative. This case marking helps clarify their role as objects in the sentence.

Can I extend this sentence to include additional objects using the conjunction og?

Yes, you can. The word og means "and" and is used to coordinate multiple nouns in a list. For example, if you wanted to add ost (cheese) to your purchase, you could say: Ég kaupi brauð, mjólk og ost. Each noun would still follow the same rules regarding case and definiteness.