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Questions & Answers about Ég sé sjúkrahúsið.
Why is the verb sjá conjugated as sé here, and what tense/mood is that?
In Icelandic the present‐tense, indicative form of sjá (to see) for both 1st and 3rd person singular is sé (not sjá). So Ég sé means I see right now. Note that sé also happens to be the present subjunctive of vera (to be), but here it’s clearly the present indicative of sjá.
Why does sjúkrahúsið end in -ið, and what does that suffix indicate?
Icelandic has no separate word for the definite article. Instead it’s appended as a suffix. For neuter singular nouns the definite suffix is -ið, so sjúkrahús (a hospital) → sjúkrahúsið (the hospital).
What gender and case is sjúkrahúsið, and why does it look like the nominative form?
sjúkrahúsið is neuter singular. In Icelandic neuter nouns have identical nominative and accusative forms, so you can’t tell them apart by shape alone. Here it’s actually the accusative (direct object) of sjá, but it looks just like the nominative.
What is the typical word order in an Icelandic declarative sentence, and how does the V2 rule apply here?
Icelandic is a “V2” language: the finite verb must be in second position. In Ég sé sjúkrahúsið the subject Ég is first, the verb sé is second, and the object sjúkrahúsið comes third—so you get the familiar S-V-O pattern.
How do you form the negative I don’t see the hospital?
Place ekki (not) immediately after the finite verb:
• Ég sé ekki sjúkrahúsið.
How do you express I cannot see the hospital using a modal verb?
Use geta (to be able) plus the supine form séð of sjá:
• Ég get séð sjúkrahúsið. (I am able to see the hospital)
• Ég get ekki séð sjúkrahúsið. (I cannot see the hospital)
How would you ask Do you see the hospital? in Icelandic?
Invert verb and subject (V2), and you can even drop þú (you):
• Sérðu sjúkrahúsið?
You could also say Sérð þú sjúkrahúsið?, but Sérðu is more common in everyday speech.
How do you say I saw the hospital in the past tense?
The strong‐verb past of sjá is sá, so you say:
• Ég sá sjúkrahúsið.
How would you say He sees the hospital?
Use the 3rd‐person singular form of sjá, which is sér, and the pronoun hann (he):
• Hann sér sjúkrahúsið.
Can you drop the subject pronoun Ég in this sentence, and why?
Icelandic isn’t a full “pro-drop” language, and because sé could be 1st or 3rd person, omitting Ég would make the sentence ambiguous. You almost always keep the pronoun in a normal declarative.
How is the sj cluster in sjúkrahúsið pronounced, and what about the final ð?
• sj is the voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative [ɕ], somewhat like English sh but with the blade of the tongue raised toward the palate.
• The final ð is a voiced dental fricative [ð], similar to the th in English this, though a bit softer.