Questions & Answers about Ég geymi penna í bókasafninu.
– To force singular: say einn penna (“one pen”) or use the definite singular pennann (“the pen”).
– To force plural: use a numeral, e.g. tvo penna (“two pens”), or use the definite plural accusative pennana (“the pens”).
Use í + dative for being inside something (static location). Use í + accusative for motion into something. For example:
• Ég er í bókasafninu. (“I am in the library.”) – dative
• Ég fer í bókasafnið. (“I’m going into the library.”) – accusative
Icelandic is a V2 (verb-second) language: the finite verb must occupy the second position in the clause. Here Ég is first, geymi is second, then the object and the place phrase follow. You can emphasize another element by fronting it, but you still keep the verb in second place. For example:
• Í bókasafninu geymi ég penna. (Emphasizing “in the library.”)
Make the object definite by using the definite plural accusative pennana. The sentence becomes:
Ég geymi pennana í bókasafninu.
In Icelandic yes/no questions you invert the verb and subject. With þú it becomes:
Geymir þú penna í bókasafninu?